News Americas, New York, NY, November 26, 2024: One Caribbean country has recorded over 1,000 murders so far this year, not Haiti.
Jamaica has recorded over 1,000 murders so far this year, underscoring the island’s ongoing challenges with violent crime.
As of November 23, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) reported a total of 1,039 murders. This marks an increase from the 995 murders recorded during the same period last year. The deadliest week of 2024 just happened, with 44 murders in just seven days.
Despite the increase in total numbers, the JCF noted that the overall homicide rate has decreased by two percentage points compared to 2023, bringing the year-over-year decrease in homicides to 18%.
Among the 19 police divisions, St. James leads with 117 murders, followed by St. Andrew South with 94, the highest homicide charges. Encouragingly, five divisions saw a decrease in homicides compared to last year. Furthermore, other serious crimes – including shootings, assaults, rapes, robberies and burglaries – are few.
The grim statistics come just days after Canada issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to exercise extreme caution when visiting Jamaica. The advisory warns of violent crimes such as armed robberies and murders, particularly in urban areas such as Kingston and Montego Bay. It highlights high-risk neighborhoods, including Tivoli Gardens, Trench Town and Norwood Gardens, where gang-related activity and gun violence predominate. Tourists were advised to stay alert and avoid these areas.
The news also comes after the US recently said that American-supplied weapons dominate crime scenes in the Caribbean.
