Police recorded a reduction in aggravated robbery and burglary cases between November 1 and November 24, despite an earlier projection of an increase.

Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho has attributed the decrease to a Police crackdown and public co-operation.

Statistics released in a Police statement yesterday showed aggravated robberies had decreased by 30 per cent.

Aggravated burglaries saw a drop of 34 per cent in the same period.

Also in the same period, crime in general saw a decrease of 21 per cent, the statement said.

Overall crime since the turn of the year has decreased by 10 per cent, the statistics showed.

Brigadier-General Qiliho said the Force’s crackdown would further intensify during this festive season.

“This is the first phase of our Operation Yadrayadravi and as we enter the festive season we will be refocusing our operations based on past crime trends as well as the increased activities anticipated throughout the divisions,” Brigadier-General Qiliho said.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce