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Jamaica has recorded 415 murders as of August 9 this year, a steep drop from the 712 killings during the same period in 2024, according to the latest figures from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
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The 41.7 per cent decline marks one of the most notable reductions in recent years, with Westmoreland, St. James, Eastern Kingston, Western Kingston, and Manchester recording the lowest number of murders for the first nine months of the year.
The JCF also reported a 36.5 per cent decline in shootings, with 416 incidents compared to 655 last year. Rapes have also fallen significantly, down 26 per cent from 269 cases in 2024 to 199 this year.
However, not all crime categories showed improvement. Robbery cases have increased by 11 per cent, while break-ins have risen by 24 per cent. Despite these upticks, the police reported an overall 17 per cent decline in crime.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has attributed much of the downward trend to sustained investments in national security and a targeted crackdown on gangs and illegal weapons. “You have no hiding place! All the people who are importing guns into Jamaica, whether you live here or cooperate with people abroad, you have no hiding place. I want that message to go out very carefully,” Holness warned during an address earlier this year.
“Jamaica is on a solid pathway to tackle the gangs, which for a long time believed they had free space and free rein. None of that in Jamaica,” he said, noting that since 2016, the number of active gangs has fallen from about 350 to fewer than 100.
Holness said that Jamaica has strengthened its national security apparatus through new equipment, enhanced officer training, and stronger cross-border partnerships. He revealed that major shipments of illegal weapons and contraband had been seized in recent months, reinforcing the government’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks.
In 2024, Jamaica recorded a total of 1,139 murders — a 19 per cent decline from the previous year.
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