Chang attributes reduction in homicides for January 2023 to SOEs
Vanassa McKenzie / Our Today
Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang says the imposition of States of Public Emergency (SOEs) and the increase in police intelligence has contributed to the reduction in murder for the month of January compared to last year.
“The police have been on the road 24/7 and they have been operating not only long hours, but their intelligence has been growing better and, therefore, they are much more targeting the operations both in terms of geographic hotspots in terms of the criminal elements they are tracking down, therefore, disturbing their operations,” Chang told Our Today.
The deputy prime minister further noted that the declaration of SOEs in the latter part of last year also contributed to the decline in the country’s homicide rate in January.
“We used the State of Public Emergency in the latter part of the year, [which] has always had an impact even though it was a 14-day cycle in different areas. In that 14 days you identify, you can tame the targets because there are people who organise gangs and if you can disrupt them by just having to identify them and having enough intelligence to detain them,” he said.
The security minister said while the country has seen a slight reduction in murders for January, there is still work to be done to achieve a further reduction in murder rates.
He said: “It’s really to increase deployment based on intelligence by the police, so what we have to do is provide resources and its basic resources, uniforms, motor vehicle transports and the legislations is also a good tool.”
Jamaica has seen a 37.2 per cent reduction in murders between the period of January 1 to January 29, 2023, compared to last year.
According to a recent serious crimes report published by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the country recorded 86 murders up to the period of January 29. This is 51 fewer murders compared to last year in which the country recorded 137 murders for the month of January.
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