For more than four years, The BVI Beacon newspaper has been making a simple request of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force: Provide us with comprehensive crime statistics.
For more than four years, police have not done so.
Instead, the public receives the sort of information it received again last week: a “Year in Review” press release offering selective figures and broad claims about progress while withholding the full data needed to assess those claims.
This is not transparency.
The latest summary tells us that “total recorded crime” rose by one percent in 2025, from 1,631 offences to 1,642. It tells us that crime “stabilised” after a rapid increase. It tells us that offences remained 24 percent above the five-year average.
But it does not say how many murders, attempted murders, serious assaults, drug crimes, robberies or gun-possession offences were recorded.
It does not provide the underlying figures behind percentage increases and decreases in key categories.
It does not allow the public — or independent analysts such as journalists — to verify trends.
In short, it asks the community to accept broad claims without evidence.
With no context, percentages alone mean little. We are told robberies rose by 39 percent. From what base? Ten incidents to 14? Fifty to 70? The difference matters greatly in a small territory.
We are told sexual offences dropped by 40 percent. This is encouraging, but from how many cases?
Similarly, we are told that commercial burglaries fell by 53 percent and residential burglaries by 30 percent. Again, this is welcome news, but it is not terribly helpful without the data required to understand it.
We are told that all murders and attempted murders in 2025 involved firearms, and guns were used in 89 percent of robberies. Meanwhile, police report seizing 24 illegal firearms and 1,282 rounds of ammunition, along with 2,611 kilograms of illicit drugs.
These numbers are rather more useful, but crucial information is still missing. What types of drugs? How many individuals were charged? How many cases resulted in convictions?
These are not academic questions. They go to the heart of public safety and policy effectiveness.
Without raw numbers, the public cannot evaluate whether percentages reflect a substantive improvement, a statistical anomaly or something else entirely.
This pattern of selective disclosure is not new. The police force has often highlighted favourable statistics while downplaying less-flattering figures.
On one occasion last year, a press release touting declines in certain crimes was followed the next day by an acknowledgment of a “net rise in overall crime.” Such piecemeal reporting erodes trust.
Comprehensive crime statistics are not an outlandish demand. They are published routinely in jurisdictions around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States and some (though unfortunately not all) countries and territories in the Caribbean.
In the most transparent jurisdictions, detailed quarterly reports break down offences by category, location and trend over time.
Such openness builds trust and enables informed debate about policy. It also counters misinformation and allows journalists, researchers and other citizens to hold authorities accountable.
In a small community like this one, where crime is often felt personally and rumours travel fast, the need for accurate and complete data is especially urgent.
For decades, VI police commissioners and governors — who are responsible for security in the territory — have stressed that police cannot succeed without community support. That is undoubtedly true.
But community support is a two-way street. Residents are asked to report suspicious activity, cooperate with investigations and stand with law enforcement. In return, they are entitled to clear, consistent and comprehensive information about the state of crime in their territory.
Transparency is not a favour bestowed at the discretion of the authorities. It is a cornerstone of democratic governance, especially in matters as fundamental as public safety.
If police truly believe the 2025 data shows progress, they should have no hesitation in releasing all of it.
And moving forward, comprehensive crime statistics should be published quarterly without the need for repeated requests from this newspaper.
Coming out of last year’s Anti-Crime Summit — where police made a show of promising greater community collaboration — the public should expect nothing less.