Murders in Jamaica down 42.5% as government extends Zones of Special Operations

Jamaica has recorded a significant decline in violent crime, with 632 murders reported as at December 8, placing the country on track to record fewer than 700 homicides by year’s end.

The figure represents 463 fewer murders than the same period in 2024 — a 42.5 per cent reduction — according to Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who provided the update while addressing the House of Representatives on December 9.

Dr. Holness was leading debate on motions to extend the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) in seven communities across the island. He also reported that shootings are down 32 per cent.

“These are numbers Jamaica has not seen in over three decades and it is a direct outcome of sustained anti-gang operations, legislative reform, intelligence coordination and the disciplined application of the clear, hold, build strategy within the Zones of Special Operations,” the Prime Minister said.

He stressed that gangs thrive in the absence of state authority, arguing that ZOSOs represent the permanent return of the State through security, social services, infrastructure, education, health care and economic opportunity.

“We are returning the State to communities that were previously abandoned to criminal governance,” Dr. Holness said. “The Zones do not merely suppress violence, they dismantle the ecosystem that allows gangs to recruit, extort, intimidate and control.”

While highlighting the historic reductions in crime, the Prime Minister cautioned that the country faces heightened risks following Hurricane Melissa, citing displacement, economic shock, psychological trauma and opportunities for criminal exploitation.

“This is precisely why ZOSOs are more relevant now than ever,” he said. “They harden communities against regression; they prevent shocks from becoming opportunities for gangs to reassert control.”

Dr. Holness noted that the Government has made and will continue to make major financial and institutional investments in the Zones of Special Operations, pointing to measurable reductions in serious violent crime, physical transformation in communities and sustained social support for residents.

Under the clear, hold, build framework established in law reform legislation, the State clears gangs from communities, maintains security presence and then builds lasting social and economic infrastructure, he said.

“This is how we permanently restore meaningful citizenship, dignity and lawful authority,” the Prime Minister stated, as he sought parliamentary support to extend all seven existing Zones of Special Operations.

Data for December 6 show an overall 38 per cent reduction in murders and a 48 per cent reduction in shootings across all ZOSOs.

At the end of the debate, the House of Representatives approved a further 180-day extension of the Zones in Denham Town, West Kingston; Norwood and Mount Salem in St. James; Greenwich Town, Parade Gardens and August Town in St. Andrew; and Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland.

“This extension will be an affirmation of success and a declaration of resolve,” Dr. Holness said. “Jamaica has turned a corner… and the Zones of Special Operations stand at the very centre of that historic national transformation.”