Policies and Security Investments Driving Crime Reduction

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Peace, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says well designed policies, the dedication of the security forces, and strategic investments are yielding measurable results, as reflected in the sustained reduction of murders and other violent crimes.

Jamaica recorded 674 murders in 2025, marking the first time in more than three decades that the annual figure has fallen below 700.

“We’re now on the threshold of achieving another historic low. The first quarter of the [2026] calendar year has already recorded a significant 29 per cent reduction in murders compared to the corresponding period of last year,” Dr. Chang pointed out while opening the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (April 21).

The Minister emphasised that the decline reflects successful systemic changes within the country’s security framework.

“It’s no accident. The last two quarters have been the lowest on record since the police began collecting data. We are now at the tipping point and going rapidly down. There will be no turning back. Quarter Four 2025 was 153; Quarter One 2026 is 134,” he said.

The Minister pointed out that, throughout the entire first quarter of 2026, not a single murder was recorded in North St. Andrew.

“Those are some tough hardcore areas. We give God thanks for all successes [and] the hard work, good policies, good planning, and investment in our security forces,” he said.

Dr. Chang expressed heartfelt gratitude to Jamaica’s international partners, acknowledging their close collaboration and support over the years.

“Since 2017, we have saved 3,000 lives by the work of this Government. This represents an average of 374 Jamaicans who are still alive today to look to a future. Shooting and other violent crimes have all declined.

“Without the investments and the action and planning of our Government, Jamaica would have continued a trajectory that would have made us one of the most unsafe places in the world,” he added.

The Minister noted that key drivers of progress have been the strengthening of intelligence led policing and the improvement of case investigations.

Meanwhile, Dr. Chang informed that firearm recoveries have reached record levels, with 1,076 weapons seized in 2025 alone.

“In recent times, firearm recoveries have increased and violence has declined. In 2011, on average, we recovered about 44 firearms for every 100 murders, a ratio of four to 10. In 2024, we recovered 73 firearms for every 100 murders. By 2025, we were recovering an average of three firearms for every two murders.

“In other words, we are finding some of the stockpiles and the armories because of better intelligence. The ratio of arrests to murders has been from approximately 44 arrests per 100 murders in 2012, [to] an extraordinary 99 arrests for every 100 murders [in 2025],” he said.

The Minister added that this level of performance represents a major breakthrough, driven by strong intelligence, improved coordination, and an effective national response.

“A transformed Jamaica Constabulary Force working in collaboration with other agencies – MOCA (Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency), JDF (Jamaica Defence Force), and others in the security architecture. We’re moving towards a one-to-one relationship. For the greatest deterrence to criminal activity is certitude of apprehension, prosecution… and my advice here is, we have to incapacitate the criminals. If they fight, we knock them out too,” Dr. Chang declared.