With one day left before the end of the year, the country has already marked the second-highest murder tally in its history.

Last year, the murder rate blew past 2019's record of 538 to hit a staggering 605 but, as of December 30, the toll has climbed steadily to 575.

Data from the Crime And Problem Analysis (CAPA) Branch of the TT Police Service (TTPS), which were updated to November 2023, said the highest number of murders occurred in January with 61, and the lowest in October with 34.

Also, the Northern Division had 148 murders, making it the deadliest by far, while the Eastern Division had the least with 31 murders.

Of the 525 murders committed up to November, a mere 42 were detected, which was an eight per cent detection rate and the lowest rate in the past ten years.

In 2022, the detection rate was 13 per cent while the rates from 2014-2021 ranged from 16-22 per cent.

In a media release on Saturday, the Prime Minister said the results of crime prevention plans and strategies by the National Security Council, the police and the wider security services had not been satisfactory but the country remained focused on getting better results.

His comments follow a rash of murders in the last days of this year, including a quadruple killing off the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, near Spring Village, Valsayn on December 27, where an innocent woman was shot dead, and the kidnapping of El Socorro businesswoman Anesha Narine-Boodhoo on December 29, which have sparked outrage by citizens.

He said the NSC met “fairly regularly” and had “certain operations” in place. He added that the national security services were being constantly resourced to keep them available and effective.

Rowley said 50 new patrol vehicles were recently approved for the police and the Defence Force, and the protective services were continuously detecting and managing the millions of rounds of ammunition and thousands of illegal firearms in the country.

He said criminals were brazen because they believed they would not be caught and that, if they were, they had nothing to fear from the judicial system. Rowley said officers would continue to try to prove them wrong but their job would be helped by more information from members of the public.

“To this end, we appeal to the public to assist in this fight, to eliminate these frequent outrages and gun crimes, in general, by providing as much information as you are able to so that the security service personnel can get ahead of the criminals before they callously add to the death and destruction that a handful of citizens wreak upon the vast majority of the population.

[caption id="attachment_1053036" align="alignnone" width="1024"] In this February 3, file photo, crime scene unit investigators visit the home of murder victim Aneesa Ramkissoon, at Trainline, St Augustine South. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]

“An illegal gun in the hand of a citizen is not security to anyone. It is simply a clear and present threat to the lives of all citizens since any such weapon can only be used in comm