18 murders recorded last week, homicides still down 40 per cent

Jamaica recorded its deadliest week since the start of the year during the first week of February, with 18 murders reported islandwide over seven days, a sharp increase after several consecutive weeks of single-digit killings.

The information is contained in the latest serious crime statistics that were published this morning by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

The spike pushed Jamaica’s total murder count to 51 as of February 7, following an end-of-January tally of 33 murders, the lowest monthly count since 2001.

While this still represents a 40 per cent reduction in murders year-on-year, the latest figures show a worrying reversal in momentum.

Just one week earlier, at the end of January, Jamaica was recording a 55 per cent year-on-year reduction in murders.

The latest surge means 15 per cent was shaved off the homicide reduction in a single week.

The recent violence has also been marked by several high-profile and disturbing incidents.

Last Saturday, a double murder along Fairfield Avenue in the St Andrew South Police Division claimed the lives of two young men, aged 21 and 20.

That incident formed part of the violence that helped drive last week’s spike.

The new week, which began yesterday, opened on a grim note with the gruesome killing of a four-year-old girl in Manchester, during an attack in which her father was also shot and injured.

The incident has renewed concern about violence in the south-central parish, which had already recorded multiple killings the previous week.

Meanwhile, the violence continued this morning with the murder of a man along Gordon Road in the Kingston Western Police Division, underscoring the fragile nature of the country’s crime gains.

The St Andrew North and Kingston Central divisions are the only policing spaces without a murder after 38 days.

As at February 7, the St Andrew South Police Division leads all 19 divisions with nine murders, making it the deadliest division so far this year.

The St James police division follows with seven murders, St Elizabeth five, and St Ann, Hanover, and Manchester with four homicides each, round out the top six.

Despite the recent surge in killings, police statistics show improvements across several other major crime categories.

Shootings, shooting injuries, rapes, robberies, and break-ins are all down, contributing to an overall 32 per cent reduction in serious crime when compared year on year.

In a seeming response to evolving crime trends, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on the weekend announced the formation of a new investigative arm, the Specialized Investigations Branch (SIB), under the Crime and Security portfolio, which is expected to bolster intelligence-driven policing and strengthen complex criminal probes.

- Andre Williams

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