Jamaica is on monitor to file fewer than 1,000 murders in a calendar yr for the primary time since 2003, based on Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
Talking on the opening of Jamaica Packaging Industries Restricted’s new $2 billion facility in Kingston on Tuesday, Holness stated the nation’s declining homicide charge indicators a turning level within the battle towards crime.
“We’ll go beneath 1,000 murders [for] the primary time in virtually 30 years,” the prime minister declared, noting that the milestone would show to each native and worldwide stakeholders that Jamaica is severe about changing into a secure vacation spot for tourism and funding.
The final time Jamaica recorded underneath 1,000 murders was in 2003, when police knowledge confirmed 976 killings. Now, based on current trends, the nation seems poised to repeat and even enhance on that statistic. Between January 1 and April 26 this yr, the Jamaica Constabulary Drive (JCF) recorded 225 murders—a 36.6% drop from the 355 homicides reported throughout the identical interval in 2024. That interprets to 130 fewer murders.
The national drop in murders displays a broader decline in main crimes throughout the island. Shootings have fallen by 30.7%, from 352 to 244 incidents. Accidents from violent crimes are additionally down by 42.9%. Rape circumstances have seen the steepest decline, falling practically in half from 148 to 78—a 47.3% lower. Robberies dipped barely by 4.9%, whereas break-ins had been the one main crime class to extend, rising 23.8% from 290 to 359 reported circumstances.
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Total, main crimes have decreased by 18.2% nationally, with 1,120 reported incidents to this point this yr, in comparison with 1,370 throughout the identical interval final yr. A number of parishes—most notably Westmoreland, St. James, and Hanover—have seen sharp reductions in violent crime. Nevertheless, areas like St. Andrew South and St. Catherine South proceed to wrestle, with little to no enchancment and slight upticks in some classes.
Nonetheless, the overall pattern paints an image of a rustic shifting in the best course. Holness framed the progress as a part of a broader nationwide effort to spice up investor confidence and enhance high quality of life.
“This isn’t only a statistic,” he stated. “It’s a message to the world that Jamaica is dedicated to making a safe and affluent future.”
