Jamaica recorded 28 murders to start the month of March according to the latest serious crime statistics published yesterday by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
This after a record-breaking February where only 47 murders were reported, the lowest monthly total since 2000, according to several cabinet ministers, including Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dana Morris Dixon, and Dr Horace Chang, the minister of national security.
From January 1 to February 28, a total of 117 murders were recorded across the 19 police divisions. As of March 8, the murder toll stood at 145, which was 51 fewer murders year on year. This represents a 26 per cent reduction in murders. St Andrew South, 23; St Catherine South, 16; St James, 11; St Catherine North, 11; St Andrew Central 10; and Westmoreland, 10, are the divisions in double digits.
According to the statistics, major crimes, including shootings, rape and robbery, are down 19 per cent. However, break-ins have increased by 16 per cent. Another crime statistic which The Gleaner has been tracking but is not published by the JCF in the weekly serious crime statistics, motor vehicle theft, has recorded a very sharp increase.
As of February 8, there was a 92 per cent increase in motor vehicle theft, with 115 such reports. At that point 55 more cars were stolen year on year, compared with 60 reports of stolen vehicles in 2024. Crime is a talking point for both political parties headed into the upcoming general election which is due by September.
As recent as yesterday, Daryl Vaz, Member of Parliament for Portland Western lamented the increase in crime in Portland, arguing that it is being fuelled by outsiders who have sought to create mischief in the once-peaceful parish. The Portland police division recorded five murders since the start of the year, a 150 per cent increase when compared to two for the corresponding period in 2024.
“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,” Vaz told supporters of the Jamaica Labour Party at an Area Council Two leadership meeting on Sunday in Portland Western.
St Thomas now has the lowest homicide count with four.