Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has attributed the steep declines in crime, particularly homicides that the country hasn’t seen in decades, to his administration’s strategic crime-fighting investments.

Holness announced in the House of Representatives on Tuesday that as at Monday, December 8, Jamaica recorded 632 murders, 463 fewer than the same period last year.

Holness said this represents a 42.5 per cent reduction in killings, with projections placing total murders below 700 by year-end.

Shootings are also down 32 per cent.

“These are numbers Jamaica has not seen in over three decades, and it is the direct outcome of sustained anti-gang operations, legislative reform, intelligence coordination, and the disciplined application of the Clear Hold Bill strategy within the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO),” Holness said.

The prime minister detailed that gangs thrive where the state retreats. “ZOSO represents the permanent return of the state—security, social services, infrastructure, education, health, and opportunity. “We are returning the state to communities that were previously abandoned to criminal governance. The zones do not merely suppress violence; they dismantle the ecosystem that allows gangs to recruit, extort, intimidate, and control.”

The prime minister said even as Jamaica register historic gains, the state must remain sober about the risks as Hurricane Melissa has undoubtedly created new vulnerabilities. “Displacement, economic shock, psychological trauma, and opportunities for criminal exploitation. This is precisely why ZOSOs are more relevant now than ever. They harden communities against regression. They prevent shocks from becoming opportunities for gangs to reassert control. They protect the gains that Jamaicans have sacrificed to achieve.”

Noting that the road ahead requires discipline, endurance, and national unity, Holness said security is a continuous building exercise.

“And this is why the government has made, and will continue to make, major financial and institutional investments in the Zones of Special Operations. These investments have already delivered measurable reductions in serious violent crimes, tangible physical transformation, and sustained support for citizens whose lives were once defined by fear,” Holness added.