Domestic violence has emerged as the leading factor in a 13 percent rise in reported crime in the Virgin Islands between January and July 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Kenrick Davis.
While gun violence remains a major threat, Davis said domestic-related incidents increased by 21 percent, making it the largest contributor to the overall rise. He added that police have recovered 16 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition so far this year. “If we consider that neither of these things is manufactured here — we don’t make guns, we don’t make bullets — but so much of it is around, then it is a serious cause of concern,” Davis said.
Davis explained that the proliferation of weapons has fueled robberies, burglaries, and murders, intensifying public fear and the perception that crime is higher than statistics indicate. He recalled earlier years when the territory would go as long as two years without a murder, compared with the current trend of at least one annually.
The government will address these issues at the Virgin Islands’ first Anti-Crime Summit, scheduled for Sept. 24–26 at the Multi-purpose Sports Complex in Road Town. Organized by the National Security Council, the summit will bring together government officials, nonprofit organizations, churches, the business sector, and students under the theme “Our Virgin Islands: Safe Communities, Prosperous Territory.”
The summit will begin Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. with a national conversation on crime, continue Sept. 25 with cross-sector meetings, and conclude Sept. 26 with youth-led discussions where students from across the territory will propose solutions.
“The Virgin Islands is not as safe as it was 20 or 30 years ago, but it is not too late to do something about it,” Davis said. “Crime is on the rise, but it is not at a stage where it is out of control, and we need to take action now to ensure that it doesn’t get to that level.”
