Murder Figure Lowest in 11 Years

Through sustained and intensified crime fighting strategies, murders in 2014 were at their lowest in 11 years, says Commissioner of Police, Dr. Carl Williams.

He noted that the year 2014 ended with a major reduction in all categories of crimes in Jamaica.

“The murder rate at the end of last year was 36 per 100,000 of the population, compared to 44 in 2013, and 62 in 2009,” the Commissioner said.

He further disclosed that 1,005 murders were recorded in 2014, compared to 1,200 in the previous year, representing a 16 per cent reduction. This figure also represents a reduction of 41 per cent when compared to 2009, the year in which the highest number of murders was committed in the island Dr. Williams commended members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for the hard work and commitment that contributed to the reduction.

“I also want to thank the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), which stood shoulder to shoulder with the JCF in some tough communities where we had to respond to upsurges in violence,” he said.

The top cop also acknowledged the good citizens of the country, who in one way or another, contributed to the reduction in 2014.

Dr. Williams said that while the figures were lower than in previous years, “Jamaicans still deserve to be safer.”

He noted that the murder figure was still too high, and expressed condolences to all who lost loved ones to violence in 2014.

“As members of the JCF, it is our sworn duty to protect the life of every Jamaican, so every time a life is lost, whether it is the life of an innocent person or an offender, we see it as counter to our mission for the men and women who daily put their lives on the line to protect the lives of Jamaicans. The murder of any one of our citizens is not simple a statistic,” he said.

The Commissioner said that the JCF will do all it can to apprehend the perpetrators.