Jamaica records decline in murders for this year

KINGSTON – Jamaica is recording a decrease of more than 42 per cent in murder so far this year, according to the latest figures released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

It said that as of December 8, the country had recorded 630 murders as compared with 1 092 for the comparative period last year, a decline of 42.3 per cent.

The JCF is also reporting a significant decline in shootings with the figure standing at 642 as compared with 960 for the same period last year, a decline of 32.1 per cent.

The figure show that St. Catherine South, St. Andrew North, St. Ann and St. James are the areas where the murders have moved 50, reaching as high as 71.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the new figures are those the country has not seen in over three decades and it is a direct outcome of sustained anti-gang operations, legislative reform, intelligence coordination and the disciplined application of the clear, hold, build strategy within the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO).

“Let us be clear, gangs thrive where the State retreats. ZOSOs represent 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,” Holness said as he led off the debate on motions to extend the ZOSOs in seven communities across Jamaica.

Holness said that even as the country registers historic gains, his administration remains sober about the risks in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which has 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,” he added.

He said that the ZOSO extension will be an affirmation of success and a declaration of resolve.

“Jamaica has turned a corner, we are no longer managing violence, we are breaking its back and the Zones of Special Operations stand at the very centre of that historic national transformation,” he said, as Parliament later approved a 180-day extension of the Zones in Denham Town, West Kingston; Norwood and Mount Salem, St. James; Greenwich Town, Parade Gardens and August Town in St. Andrew, and Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland. (CMC)