By Stanford Conway
A male resident of St. Peter’s Village, for whom the police had launched a manhunt, was captured last week Tuesday afternoon by members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF).
Twenty-four-year-old Wycliffe Liburd, alias “Wicked”, was apprehended by a squad of soldiers from the SKNDF in the village where he resides at about 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21 after police announced he was wanted in connection with a robbery.
He was taken into custody at the Basseterre Police Station and charged with Robbery With Violence.
According to reports reaching this newspaper, Liburd allegedly robbed a male Basseterre youth of EC$162.50 on Wednesday, February 15.
The incident took place on Central Street, Basseterre and it is reported that Liburd boxed the victim during the process of the robbery, causing injury to his face.
It is also alleged that Liburd was carrying a firearm at the time of the incident.
Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Superintendent Joseph Richardson, said Liburd appeared in the Basseterre Magistrate’s Court last Friday and the police objected to bail, based on the violence inflicted on the robbery victim.
He was remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison for seven days and is scheduled to return to court today, Friday, March 3.
Richardson also expressed the security forces’ gratitude to those members of the public who were instrumental in providing accurate and timely information that led to the detection and prevention of a number of criminal activities.
“The assistance gained from those conscientious, public-spirited and law-abiding citizens of the Federation, who had provided information to the security forces that assisted in the prevention and detection of some criminal activities, had not gone unnoticed.
“Their actions have been a clear indication that the Police and Defence Forces’ appeal for public co-operation was heard and understood. This is a good sign. It is a signal to criminals that not only the security forces are disgust with their unsavoury behaviour but also the general public,” said Richardson.
He pointed out that when compared with the corresponding period, the fist two months of 2006 realised a decrease in serious crimes committed in the Federation and opined it was a spin-off of the appeals made and measures put in place by the security forces before and during the Christmas/Carnival season.
The CID Head stressed the need for continued public co-operation and reiterated that confidentiality was guaranteed to those individuals who had provided information to the security forces and also to those who intended to do so.
Last year, a total of 1,825 reported cases of serious crimes were committed in the Federation; 180 more than 2004, which indicate an increase of some 10 percent.
Statistics indicate that from the 1,825 cases, 1,534 were committed in St. Kitts [129 more than 2004} and 419 of them were solved; while in sister island Nevis, 291 cases were reported and 140 solved. Nevis had an increase of 50 reported cases more than the previous year.
The overall solvability rate of crimes committed in 2005 was 30.6 percent and juveniles committed 9.7 percent of these reported cases.
Eight murders were committed in St. Kitts in 2005, a decrease of three compared with the previous year; however, only two of them were solved while there were no reported murders on Nevis.
And while there were nine attempted murders in St. Kitts, here again Nevis recorded none, but from this total only four were solved with two of them being committed by juveniles. The Federation therefore saw an increase of 28.6 percent in this form of crime compared with 2004
