Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says the Government will be working to achieve greater reductions in the murder rate this year, even as the country marks a 31-year low in homicides for 2025.
He said the objective of the Government is for the country to attain peace.
“This is not just a matter of attaining citizen security and public order; this means that violence is not a first resort for the resolution of conflict, and we will be putting in place policies to ensure that Jamaica does attain peace as a country,” the prime minister said.
He was addressing the commissioning of more than 200 vehicles by the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) at the entity’s Hunt’s Bay Plant located along Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston, on Friday, January 2.
Preliminary figures indicate that the country recorded 673 murders last year, representing a 42 per cent decline over 2024, and is the lowest number recorded since 1994, when some 690 homicides were recorded.
Dr Holness said that the decline builds on the momentum of the past two years, noting that the country recorded an eight per cent reduction heading into 2024, followed by an even sharper 19 per cent fall going into 2025.
It is also the first time since 2003, when 976 homicides were recorded, that the murder figures dipped below 1,000 for a calendar year.
Prime Minister Holness said that the development has decisively reset Jamaica’s crime narrative and is cause for national applause.
“This is an achievement for everyone,” he said.
“We have cracked the psychological barrier of 1,000 murders per year, and we are firmly heading to attain the regional average, if not better than the regional average of 15 murders per 100,000,” he added.
Comments