Murders down 23% nationally, but Manchester surges 180%

Jamaica has recorded a near 23 per cent decline in murders so far this year but the progress is shadowed by an alarming surge in killings in Manchester, where murders have risen 180 per cent, according to latest police statistics. 

The Jamaica Constabulary Force is reporting that 184 murders have been recorded as at May 2, down from 238 over the similar period in 2025. 

Manchester, however, has moved in the opposite direction, from five murders in the corresponding period last year to 14 this year. The latest incident in the parish involved Saturday's double murder in Farm district, where a man and a woman were shot and killed during a home invasion.

Ten murders were recorded islandwide between April 26 and May 2.

Of those, at least two incidents were captured on closed-circuit television and have since circulated widely on social media. One occurred along Love Lane, where a 50-year-old woman was stabbed to death. The other took place on Friday along Mandela Highway, where men travelling on motorcycles opened fire on a vehicle, killing one man and injuring another.

All major categories of serious crime are also showing declines. Shootings fell by nearly 33 per cent, robberies by just over 20 per cent, while break-ins and rape also recorded reductions.

Despite the overall decline in murders, some police divisions continue to record elevated numbers.

St James currently has the highest number of murders with 24, followed by St Andrew South with 17. Clarendon and St Ann each recorded 14. 

Hanover has also seen an increase, rising to eight murders from four last year, while St Elizabeth moved to ten from five in the corresponding period.

At the lower end, St Andrew North has recorded just one murder so far this year.

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