Holness: Jamaica’s murder tally in first 22 days is lowest in 22 years
Vanassa McKenzie / Our Today
Prime Minister Andrew Holness says Jamaica’s murder tally for the first 22 days of the new year is the lowest the country has seen in the last 22 years.
According to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) crime statistics, the country recorded some 46 murders up to Saturday, January 20. This was an 11 per cent decline compared to the 57 recorded for the same period last year.
“For the first 22 days of 2024, murders are down 21 per cent relative to the first two days in 2023. All serious crimes, homicide , shootings, rape, robbery are down 10.7 per cent. This is the lowest in 22 years,” Holness noted during his keynote address at the opening of the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s (JSE’s) 19th Regional Investments and Capital Markets Conference on Tuesday, January 23.
The prime minister pointed out that this is a signal that the country has started to see a crime reduction, although there is a need for greater impact in tackling violence in society.
“In moving towards that we have strengthened legislation, there is the new Firearms Act, we have a new Bail Act and very soon, we will make amendments to the penalties under the Offenses Against the Persons Act, which will increase the mandatory minimum sentence for murder before being eligible for parole,” the prime minister said.
He stressed that the security forces have been strengthened, particularly their investigative capacity.
“Have you noticed that the investigative capacity of our security forces has increased significantly? They are now bringing to our courts cases that before would have gone unsolved and they are doing it in quite a rapid way and I want to acknowledge the significant improvements in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF),” he added.
Holness pledged to continue to tackle crime with a focus on violence in society.
Last year, the country recorded a total of 1,393 murders. This is a 7.8 per cent decline compared to the previous year.
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