Overall Decline in Crimes Last Year

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is reporting an overall 11.1 per cent decline in the number of serious, violent, and acquisitive crimes committed in 2013, relative to 2012.

These incidents include: aggravated assault, break-ins, larceny, murder, rape, robbery, and shootings.

Programme Director for the PIOJ’s Plan Development Unit, Richard Lumsden, says 352 crimes were committed per 100,000 of the population in 2013, compared to 396 per 100,000 in 2012.

He was providing an update on key areas of national well-being for security and labour force quality, under the National Development Plan, Vision 2030 Jamaica, during the PIOJ’s quarterly media briefing, held at the institute’s New Kingston offices, on February 19.

Mr. Lumsden noted, however, that murders increased by 9.2 per cent in 2013 – 44.3 per 100,000, as against 40.6 per 100,000 in 2012.

The increase in the murder rate in 2013 marks the first reversal of the downward trend that began in June of 2010, he pointed out.

Regarding labour force quality, Mr. Lumsden reported that an average of 24.4 per cent of the total labour force had vocational or professional certification, based on the quarterly labour force surveys for 2013. This, he pointed out, represents a 0.9 per cent increase, compared to 23.5 per cent in 2012.