Robberies in the Virgin Islands have jumped 58 percent so far in 2025 compared with last year and are 131 percent above the five-year average, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Kendrick Davis said Wednesday, Wednesday, September 24, at the Virgin Islands Anti-Crime Summit 2025. Almost every robbery this year involved at least one firearm, he added, calling the weapon “the choice” of offenders.

“We looked at robberies from a victim-centric perspective,” Davis told the audience at the summit, held under the theme ‘Our Virgin Islands: Safe Communities, Prosperous Territory.’ “If five persons are robbed by one suspect, that’s five victims. Almost every robbery that was committed this year — at least one firearm was involved, which says that this is the weapon of choice.”

Davis said gun violence is a growing concern. Police and partner agencies have seized 18 firearms and 1,146 rounds of ammunition between January and August, the highest bullet recovery figure in recent years. “There were years when we didn’t recover any guns at all,” he said. “These are individual recoveries … which means it is more alarming than when we found a single large amount of firearms at a particular property.”

Overall crime in the Territory has increased 12 percent compared with the same period last year and stands 35 percent above the five-year average. “So far this year … we have already exceeded the crime figures for 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022,” Davis said.

Domestic violence also rose, with a 19 percent increase in domestic-related offenses. “These domestic-related assaults account for 47 percent of our assault reports,” he said.

Some indicators showed improvement. Sexual offenses have declined 36 percent, and non-dwelling burglaries — including incidents at supermarkets and businesses — are down 41 percent.

A 20-year review by police shows 88 murders across 81 violent incidents between 2005 and 2025. Davis said 91 percent of those killings were committed by men and most victims were male.

Comparing the Territory with its neighbors, Davis estimated that the Virgin Islands’ 2025 murder rate would be about 16 per 100,000 residents, higher than the Cayman Islands’ 5 per 100,000 but below several other Caribbean jurisdictions.

Davis closed with a warning and appeal for unity. “The figures tell us that interventions, when you do it together, have worked,” he said. “But the figures are also saying to us, this is a siren. This is an alarm. And if we don’t do something about it now, then it might just reach a stage where it’s too late. The figures have spoken … the question is, what will we do together?”