Kembay 

The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) has on Wednesday February 14, 2024, released the national crime statistics data for 2023.

According to the report, a total of 30,491 criminal and accident cases were recorded and investigated in all the 6 Police Command Regions across the country with an overall crime rate of 0.35%

The report added that in 2023, there was a slight reduction in rate by *0.4%.

"For the past 4yrs from 2019 to 2023, the country had recorded considerable reduction in the rate of crime which ranked her third in Africa as the most peaceful country and first in West Africa", stated the report. 

Possible explanations for the reduction the disclosed include, improved and sustained community engagement in the fight against crime, improved logistical support in the form of patrol vehicles, enhanced operational coordination at strategic, tactical and operational levels, and enhanced inter-institutional relationship between the security and justice sector agencies among others. 

*10,063* which is the highest in partition to the *30,491* total cases recorded nationwide were crime against women and children including sexual penetration, rape and Sexual and Gender Base Violence (SGBV), followed by Property offences with *7,033* cases, third to Economic offences with *3,992* cases, forth to road traffic offences and crashes with *3,953* cases, Offences against the person logged *3,827* cases, public order offences amounted to *1,435* cases and miscellaneous offences with *188* cases. 

The report analysis indicated Western Areas (Freetown East and West) topping the crime rate with 18,988 amounting to 62%, followed by Northern Region (North East and West) with 5,180 representing. 17%, South and East recorded 3,275 and 3,048 representing 11% and 10% respectively. 

At Divisional level, three major offences including Murder, robbery with violence and robbery with aggravation were prevalence.

"Apart from treasonable offences which are being considered the highest in the land, murder robbery with violence and aggravation are also felonious in nature and carry long term prison sentences" report said.