Traffic Fatalities Up in Aruba, Drug Confiscation Up & that 2005 Crime still Unsolved

So you are thinking about renting a car at the airport on “One Happy Island”? You may want to rethink that choice, traffic fatalities are up in 2007. Although there are no traffic accident statistics in this article it does appear that there always seem to be a bad accident covered in the pages of Diario and Bon Dia.

Police Corps Aruba ( KPA ) is very concerned about the 11 persons that died in traffic this year, and we are only in the fifth month.   In the entire year of 2006, the number of persons that died in traffic was 14.       The reasons for the accidents were in almost all the cases irresponsible driving.   This has to change, because if it continues, the figures of 2007 will be much higher. (Amigoe)

Check out the amount of drugs that have been confiscated in Aruba by the police in 2007 as compared to 2006. Does anyone think there is not a rise in drug use to correlate with this number?

Another priority of the KPA is tackling the local drug dealings and sale.   It causes inconvenience and criminality.   Compared to 2006, the police have confiscated almost 600 cocaine and 50 kilo heroine versus 109 and 12 in 2006.

(Vanderbilt – ’07)

There were 12 reported robberies a day in Aruba in 2006. Wow, that seems like an extremely large number for an island on 100K in population. Then there is the final statistic, the number of deadly criminal offenses in 2006. However, it is not the solved deadly criminal offenses in 2006 that is Aruba’s problem. It is that one unsolved crime  in 2005 that hangs over Aruba like a dark cloud and will continue to do so in to the future until there is “Justice for Natalee”.

Amigoe; May 22, 2007: Police The number of fatal traffic accidents has to drop    

Already eleven fatalities in traffic in 2007, and that is unacceptable for the police.

ORANJESTAD – Police Corps Aruba ( KPA ) is very concerned about the 11 persons that died in traffic this year, and we are only in the fifth month.   In the entire year of 2006, the number of persons that died in traffic was 14.       The reasons for the accidents were in almost all the cases irresponsible driving.   This has to change, because if it continues, the figures of 2007 will be much higher.    

Driving back the number of fatal traffic accidents is one of the priorities of the corps.   The most important solution is to change the driving behavior.   One way to do this is to give a lot of information.     Joining other organizations in this will be of great advantage.   The number of collisions in San Nicolas, Noord, and Santa Cruz dropped slightly in 2006; from 6320 in 2005 to 6246 in 2006.   This however increased in Oranjestad with more than 200.   There were 7 fatal traffic accidents in Oranjestad.   Of the 14 deadly traffic accidents, 11 took place during the night.   Compared with 2005, the number of traffic violations didn’t increase in 2006.   As a matter of fact, it dropped drastically from 8808 to 7588.      

Hospital figures show that 55 percent of the beds in the surgery ward are occupied by road victims.     Per day, an average of five traffic accident victims is treated on the intensive care.   The hospital can re-claim only 25 percent from the patients’ insurance companies.     The rest cannot be re-claims, because the victim is not insured or the policy does not cover the accident.    

Another priority of the KPA is tackling the local drug dealings and sale.   It causes inconvenience and criminality.   Compared to 2006, the police have confiscated almost 600 cocaine and 50 kilo heroine versus 109 and 12 in 2006.      

The superintendent is extremely pleased with the solution percentage of the number of deadly criminal offenses.   7 Persons were violently killed and the police have solved all the cases in 2006.   The number of offenses has increased.   This is to be blamed on the higher number of robberies (an average of 12 per day).   The number of stolen cars (2 every day) remained the same as in 2005.