1997 crime statistics

From Rachel Neild, 4 November 1998

I just received a copy of the National Police compilation of crime statistics for July to December 1997. They are very basic crime stats on numbers of crimes by types. I do have regional breakdowns, but not in a form I can post right now. Suffice to say that, overall, 59% of the crime took place in the Department of the West. They are not by age, sex or any other variable.

The introduction acknowledges that PNH systems are rudimentary and that they lack much information. I have heard from other sources that these statistics are based on reports from the 9 departmental police commanders and thus depends greatly on the quaility of local police leadership (which varies wildly). I would suspect that these figures are partial, particularly for certain regions. I would be intreested in reflections on this data from corbeteers.

Total crime by region:
West	59%
Artibonite	9%
South East	8%
North	6%
South	5%
Centre	5%
North East	3%
Grand Anse	2%
North West	2%

Nationwide totals by type of crime for the period July through December 1997.
Crimes against the person:
Murder	269
Murder attempts	70
Assault	155
Rapes	61
Assault and battery	43
Bodies found	97
Lynchings	57
Involunatry homicide	6
Suicides	4
Other	53
Overvall total	815

There is a section on crimes against police. There were 10 killings of police, 10 attempted assaults, and 2 cases of assault and battery, and 65 assaults during the same period.

Property crimes:
Armed robbery	196
Beak in and entering property	61
Break in and burglary	19
Burglary	78
Fraud	38
Arson	7
Overall total	399

Trafficking offences:
Drugs	40
Counterfeiting	22
Weapons	2
Overall total	64

Organized crime:
Drugs	40
Corruption	18
Overall total	58

Breaking regulations:
Illegal possession of arms	129
Usurpation of title	14
Overall total	143

Public Order:
Demonstrations and barricades	27
Strikes	15
Distributing tracts	3
Occupying locales	5
Sequestration cadres	7
(don't know how to translate this)
Offences	5
Various	27
Overall total	122

I am particularly interested in the 'crimes' of demonstration, strike, and distributing tracts. How do these 'offences' fit in with the following parts of the 1987, and current, Constitution?

'ARTICLE 28: Every Haitian has the right to express his opinions freely on any matter by any means he chooses.'

'ARTICLE 31: Freedom of unarmed assembly and association for political, economic, social, cultural or any other peaceful purposes is guaranteed.'

'ARTICLE 35-5: The right to strike is recognized under the limits set by law.'

I can see that 'ARTICLE 31-2: The police authorities must be notified in advance of assemblies outdoors in public places.' would make an unannounced demonstration illegal but it does not account for the listing of strikes and distribution of tracts. What are the limits set by the law for strikes anyway?

Strange, no.

Charles Arthur

Haiti Support Group (haitisupport@gn.apc.org)