KINGSTON, Jamaica, Jul 15, CMC – Jamaica has recorded a 24 murders over a seven day period ending July 13, which is four more than the figure recorded for the week June 29 to July 6, according to figures released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
It said that during the period July 6 to the 13th, 24 people were murdered pushing the death toll so far this year to 626, an increase of 20 over the figure recorded on July 6.
But the overall figures show that crime has declined by 14 per cent year-on-year when compared to the similar period in 2023, when as at July 13, an estimated 103 fewer murders were committed across Jamaica.
The St James police division recorded a triple murder last week pushing up the total homicides to 78, leading all 19 police divisions, followed by Westmoreland, 59, St Andrew South, 52, St Catherine North, 46, and Kingston Eastern 37, the top five most murderous divisions.
Jamaica is one of the countries with the highest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean. The number of people murdered in Jamaica amounted to 1,393 last year.
Meanwhile, the latest JCF figures show that shootings have decreased by one per cent, rape is down 32 per cent, robbery declined by 15 per cent and break-ins recorded a seven per cent decline.
CMC/af/2024