Dominica has recorded a total of 14 homicides for the year, thus far.
According to Acting Police Chief Lincoln Corbette, six of these homicides were committed through the use of firearms.
During a recent press conference, he revealed, “So for the year, we have six homicides committed by the use of firearms. The other homicides have been committed by stab wounds, beatings, battery and so on. But for the year so far, we have had 14 homicides, and seven of these homicides have been solved, meaning that somebody has been prosecuted.”
He said the police are close to solving two more of those homicides, “which will take us up to nine.”
“So the homicide in Grand Bay, we believe that we have a very good prospect of solving that homicide, and also the homicide involving Jeanyves Bruno, we also have a very good prospect in solving that homicide,” Corbette revealed.
Furthermore, Corbette asserted that every homicide is one too many, and he urged the public to solve their conflicts/disputes amicably.
“I remember the days when men would fight with hands and we had a few homicides, but men have become very callous, mischievous, and wicked,” he remarked. “ I don’t want to call any of our fellow Caribbean islands, but if you look at what happened in the Caribbean. It’s crazy. But again, as I said, we have 14 and that’s 14 too many. And we’re hoping that we have no more homicides in [Dominica].”
He continued, “But again, the message out there is that we’re working as hard as we can to ensure that we can solve these homicides and all crimes… and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Corbette called on members of the public who have information as to the whereabouts of any persons of interest to please urge them to surrender themselves to the police. “Call the police, call the Hotline at 1-800-8477 or 1-800 TIPS, that’s the Crimestoppers Hotline,” Corbette encouraged. “And when you do so, you are making society a safer place.”
Meanwhile, Corbette assured the public that the police will leave no stone unturned until they solve all of the homicides in Dominica.
“We are getting better results, but again we wish to have no murders, no homicides, and [that] we [were] better trained, better equipped, and [had] better resources to solve those matters,” he stated.
He called on those who are bent on committing crimes to turn away from their evil intentions and to live a productive life.
“So if you commit a crime, we will come after you to investigate you and to prosecute you to the full extent of the law, “Corbette warned. “So, that’s my message to you; Do not commit a crime, but if you do so, or if [you] wish to commit a crime, we will come after you to ensure that you are brought before the court and brought to justice.”
Additionally, Corbette acknowledged that Dominica’s Firearm Act is one of the most severe in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean.
“I don’t want to delve into my own ideas or my own thoughts on that, but I believe, as it stands right now, the Firearm Act is one of the most stringent ones in the OECS in the Caribbean,” he asserted. “The police are to solve the crime and put them before the court. What happens after that is beyond our control. But, I believe, as it stands right now, the Firearm Act is very stringent, and I know there have been suggestions and there’s intention by the state to make it even tougher.”
There are twelve (12) months in a calendar year; with three months remaining in 2025, and the island has already accumulated fourteen (14) murders, that’s approximately 1.6: almost two people murdered per month!
It should not take rocket science to determine that something is fundamentally wrong in the country. Believe it or not: they are pulling population numbers out of thin air, when in reality the population might just be over thirty thousand people. Presently the death ratio is greater (>) than the birth ratio, it seems as if the murder rate has claimed more lives in the country than people who died from natural causes, and medical malpractice!
Unless there is some transformation; unless something develops to keep the mind of the youths occupied, something such as gainful employment, the illegal drug industry which I believe to be the problem will continue to wreck havoc in the country: some have developed a gangster mentality, which causes them to murder people!
Dominicans must look inwards. These numbers show that Dominicans are a angry and unforgiving people. No one wants to walk away from a confrontation wrong or right they stand their ground and petty differences are turned into major confrontation. Salisbury people will block the main road and stone police whenever they have political disagreement with government the same can be said of Marigot. Loud mouth political activist too often fail to condemn violence only doing so when it benifits them. I reluctantly say that Dominicans are not friendly people, they are hostile and very quick to anger, so to pretend otherwise is foolish. More tolerance is needed among the people to solve this rising crime issue.
What an inditement on the government and police of Dominic boy. But I am not surprised because as a Bible believer that’s exactly what I read in Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
2020-15, 2021-10, 2022-19, 2023-18, 2024-10
Going by statistics and accounting for Dominica’s population that murder rate is extremely high, even higher than the USA. Dominica has a murder rate of 20.9 per 100,000 this is more than 3× the U.S. average, and over 9× Canada’s average, putting it in the very high homicide rate category internationally. The most recent available murder rate for the United States is 6.8 homicides per 100,000 people in 2023.
So even with our little population we giving Antigua competition now??
That’s absolutely crazy. It is only September… If we had the same average murder rate as the US we would only have 2 or 3 murders a year!
14 homicides for year to date 2025. How many homicides were committed in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020? How many were fire arm (gun) related?
But what do you expect when the name of our country is unofficially changed to the Corruptweatlth of Dominica with a very corrupt leader, a corrupt government, a very corrupt police department and a very corrupt judiciary?
The current state of Dominica reminds me of a Bible verse in Judges 2+:25 that reads “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes Judges 21:25.
The phrase “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” reflects a time in Israel’s history characterized by moral and social chaos.
That exactly where Dominica is today with this corrupt government, a corrupt judiciary and a police force that is in bed with known wanted criminals like Alereza Monfared, while they are at war with good citizens that exposing wrong
Boy we might as well use this up coming Independence to change our name from The Corruptweatlth of Dominica to The Corruptweatlth of Dominica
Boy
Skerrit announced aggressive measures to get illegal guns and ammunition.
How was successful was that?
2 gun amnesty back to back eh Skerrit
Is it fair to say that de failure of de police and by extension the government, to get those guns is a contributing factor to these gun crimes
Our firearms law is one of the most stringent? Really? You mean charging a man $EC$10 000.00 which he pays right away?
Please Corbette when you are talking about criminals in Dominica stay put with Dominica. Don’t compare it with other countries. My concern is Dominica.
Corbette, have you solved the matter with the red benches? I mean the red benches that delivered a debilitating blow to the morale of many officers?
Lazies…go after those criminals. If i had my way, i would send 99% of you all home, and recruit people with no links to any corrupt politicians as officers to serve in the CDPF. The poor state of the CDPF today is because of politics.