Murder Count on the Rise; Belize District Is the Most Dangerous

The nation’s murder count for 2024 as of June stands at fifty-seven murders, according to statistics from the Belize Crime Observatory. That is an average of ten murders a month. Of the murder victims, fifty were males and seven were females. Data also shows that the highest count of murder victims for the first half of the year were between the ages of thirty and forty-nine-years-old. Additionally, eighty-seven percent of those homicides were committed with a firearm, with more than fifty percent taking place in the Belize District. These numbers represent an increase in murders when compared to the first six months in 2023 which saw thirteen fewer homicides. The most murderous month of 2024 so far was back in March. Fourteen persons were killed that month. The Belize and Cayo Districts are on track to become the most murderous districts in Belize in 2024. Notably, the Orange Walk District has seen a decrease in homicide reports when compared to the first six months of 2023. On the other hand, the Belize Crime Observatory has recorded a decrease in major crime incidents between the months of April to June 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023. Major crimes include murder, rape, robbery, burglary, theft, and unlawful sexual intercourse. Two hundred and thirty-nine major crime incidents have been reported during the second quarter of 2024, in comparison to two hundred and eighty in the same period last year. The decrease is largely due to the significant drop in burglaries, theft, and rape this year. Again, the Belize District accounted for the most major crimes reported in the second quarter of 2024.