Crime as a whole has gone down, according to Police statistics released this morning, but murders, robberies and sexual assaults have doubled compared to the same period last year.

Crime overall dropped by ten percent during the second quarter of the year — spanning the period April 1 to June 30 — compared to the second quarter of 2009.

However, murders doubled from two to four offences, robberies doubled from 14 to 28, and sexual assaults almost doubled from nine to 17.

There have been 34 confirmed firearms incidents so far this year — almost matching the total of 37 for the whole of 2009.

Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva told a press conference he was saddened that gun crime remains “consistently high”.

However, he reassured the public that the detection rate has “increased significantly” and the people have been helping the Police more.

For the full story and reaction, see tomorrow’s edition of The Royal Gazette.