Crime down in Jamaica, but still among the region’s highest

Jamaica has seen a notable decline in crime this year, with murders down 18% as of November 30, 2024, compared to the same period last year.

Despite this progress, the island remains the second most violent nation in the Caribbean, trailing only Haiti, a country devastated by extreme violence following the 2021 assassination of its president. According to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the nation recorded 1,060 murders in the first 11 months of 2024, 228 fewer than the 1,288 murders reported during the same period in 2023. This continues a troubling trend of more than 1,000 murders annually for the past five years. Over this period (2019–2023), Jamaica documented 7,027 murders, ranking second in the region behind Haiti’s 10,610, as highlighted in data published by Statista.com on November 18, 2024.

The reduction in crime has been attributed to intensified anti-gang efforts and intelligence-led strategies, which the government credits for dismantling gang networks and curbing violence in hotspot areas. St. James, Clarendon, and Kingston West have seen murder rates drop by 32%, 39%, and 30%, respectively. More than 2,750 anti-gang operations in 2024 have resulted in the seizure of 667 illegal firearms, with 383 recovered directly from suspects.