The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) released its most recent major crime figures, showing that 28 murders were committed in Jamaica to date in March.
Several cabinet officials, notably Dana Morris Dixon, the minister of education, skills, youth, and information, and Dr. Horace Chang, the minister of national security, have stated that this comes after a record-breaking February in which just 47 homicides were reported, the fewest monthly total since 2000.
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Across the 19 police divisions, 117 homicides were reported between January 1 and February 28. As of March 8, there were 145 homicides, 51 less than the previous year.
This amounts to a 26% decrease in homicides.
Regional divisions in double digits include St Andrew South (23), St Catherine South (16), St James (11), St Catherine North (11), St Andrew Central (10), and Westmoreland (10).
The numbers show a 19% decrease in serious crimes, such as robberies, rapes, and shootings.
Motor vehicle theft, another crime figure that a local newspaper has been monitoring but that the JCF does not include in the weekly severe crime numbers, has seen a substantial rise.
In 2024, there were 60 complaints of stolen automobiles; at that point, the number of stolen cars increased by 55 year.
As the general election approaches, which is scheduled for September, crime is a topic of discussion for all major parties.
Portland Western Member of Parliament Daryl Vaz recently bemoaned Portland’s rising crime rate, claiming that it is being fueled by foreigners who have attempted to cause trouble in the formerly tranquil parish.
Five murders have been reported by the Portland police division since the year began, a 150 percent increase over the two that were reported during the same period in 2024.
At a recent Area Council Two leadership meeting in Portland Western, Vaz informed Jamaica Labor Party followers, “I am very concerned and very upset in relation to the upsurge in crime in Portland. We are not accustomed to drive-by shootings, and we have had two in the last few days. We are not accustomed to that… We have been accustomed to being the safest parish for decades, and we have lost that position.”
St. Thomas presently has four homicides, the fewest of any city.
