Jamaica records significant decline in murders so far this year
National Security Minister, Dr Horace Chang, says Jamaica, for the first three months of this year, recorded its lowest murder rate for the first quarter in the last seven years and that feelings of insecurity have been significantly reduced.
“Since the start of this year and up to April 22, 2023, murders committed in the country have reduced by 17 per cent compared to 2022. Overall, major crimes are down 20 per cent,” Chang told the 2023/24 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Chang, Deputy Prime Minister, said that although crime remains a serious issue for Jamaicans, crime victimisation and feelings of insecurity have been significantly reduced at the community level.
He said the 2021 Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) Survey reported Jamaica as having a crime victimisation rate of seven per cent, and only 18 per cent of Jamaicans felt insecure in their communities.
“It is evident that the increased presence and visibility of the police officers resulting from our strategic investment, and the training we are giving them, is beginning to restore some confidence at the community level,” Chang told legislators.
But he acknowledged that “on the other hand, while the police continue to impact community safety by reducing certain types of criminal activities, we are seeing the organised criminal terrorists changing their operations and impacting the national mood of the country”.
The National Security Minister said the security forces have observed that the criminal terrorists are operating in organised alliances to hit high-value targets and that these kinds of illegal activities tend to generate heightened national concern, such as the stealing of ATMs, having acquired the equipment to rapidly extract, the targeting of cash-in-transit and other cash-heavy locations.
Chang said that inter-gang wars had been reduced, but the impact of criminal terrorist alliances carrying out these activities has significantly affected the national psyche.
“The police have built intelligence, analysed their activities and developed effective strategic deployments. We continue to expand and improve our intelligence capabilities to ensure they have all the tools required for strong, effective policing, including legislative tools such as the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) and States of Public Emergency (SOEs),” he said.
Chang noted that SOEs save lives and reduce the activities of criminal terrorists.
“This impact is well established. The SOE is one of our best tools to disrupt gangs and save lives. The murder trend since October 2022… illustrates that the weeks following the declaration of SOEs typically experience a significant reduction in murders. In the weeks that recorded the lowest weekly murders, all fell within the two weeks of the SOE.”
The National Security Minister said the investment in the police to upgrade mobility and effective presence contributes to significant improvements in public safety.
He noted that murder, largely a retaliatory crime, has remained over the 1,000 mark for the last 23 years, with only noticeable declines during and immediately after the States of Public Emergency.
So far this year, Jamaica has recorded 388 murders compared to 464 for the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the government says it will continue to expand the network of cameras to boost the country’s national closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance programme, dubbed ‘JamaicaEye’.
More than 860 Government CCTV cameras have been installed in townships across the island under the programme.
“We are building the monitoring centre in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth. We are prioritising Portmore, but we are looking at how we can expand this critical activity across the entire island in the crucial areas. It has proven extremely useful… in apprehending criminals,” Chang said.
The public-private partnership, launched in 2018, is designed to network CCTVs owned by the Ministry and accommodate feed from privately owned cameras.
Right across the island where the cameras have been installed, members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) are leveraging the cameras to assist in criminal investigations and maintaining public order.
The feeds provide helpful footage concerning criminal activity and other emergencies and are monitored by a team of security professionals.
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