Aruba Cannot Accurately Report Crimes Either, ” claims that the number of crimes has actually risen recently”

Some have disputed whether Aruba has properly reported their tourism numbers, now some are questioning whether crime in Aruba is being properly reported. Who is questioning the crime reports? The American International media? The Blogs? No, its the Aruban Police Union.

This past week there were discussions regarding the registering of crimes and violations in connection with the advertised drop in criminality, an advertisement based on statistics supplied by the OM. The police union disputed these figures, claiming that the number of crimes has actually risen recently.  

In an effort to misrepresent the level of crime in Aruba, advertisements were taken out in certain papers. Anything to promote a positive image to save tourism. Actually, it is rather unbelievable that an island that bases its economy on tourism and the interaction with visitors to its island has no “uniform system to register crimes and violations.” Everything in Aruba and how its handled just appears to be an accident waiting to happen. It is as if there are no polices and procedures to handle any of the normal activities in government, business and life that so many of us take for granted.

The advertisement originated with the Ministry of Justice, wishing to show that criminality on Aruba has dropped. Last week the advertisement was placed in the papers on various days, showing a table of the most common crimes from 2003 through April 2006

Amigoe, September 29, 2006: OM creates a standardized system for legal summonses. 

ORANJESTAD – The Openbaar Ministerie (District Attorney, OM) is currently working on a model allowing for standardized summonses, where special agents of the police will have a uniform system to register crimes and violations. Special agents do not fall under the Aruba Police Corps (KPA). They work in areas like the Department of Public Health. Whether the OM is also working on a standardized system for summonses for the “normal” police is unknown. 

This past week there were discussions regarding the registering of crimes and violations in connection with the advertised drop in criminality, an advertisement based on statistics supplied by the OM. The police union disputed these figures, claiming that the number of crimes has actually risen recently.  

The advertisement originated with the Ministry of Justice, wishing to show that criminality on Aruba has dropped. Last week the advertisement was placed in the papers on various days, showing a table of the most common crimes from 2003 through April 2006. The figures came from the OM. Spokesperson Mariaine Arends-Croes said the OM doesn’t recognize the published table, but that the figures listed on criminal statistics appear to match their own top ten. “Every year we have a top ten of punishable acts. We started this in 2003. Only the table in the advertisement is not so clear.” If the numbers have dropped because fewer crimes have actually been committed is also difficult to say, according to Arends-Croes. “Take driving without a license, the numbers can also drop because the police controlled more one year than the other.”  The chance of being caught is then higher, but that doesn’t mean that either more or fewer people were driving without their license, the spokesperson for the OM explained.