Significant drop in daily murder average – Anderson
Published:Wednesday | December 28, 2022 | 10:34 AM
Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson has indicated that there has been a significant reduction in murders, achieved, in part, due to the states of public emergency.
Speaking at a media briefing this morning where Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced a reimposition of SOEs in several parishes, Anderson noted that since the beginning of the year, Jamaica had recorded a daily average of four murders.
This, he said, peaked in September when the daily murder average was nearly five.
Anderson noted that September and October recorded increases in murders as high as 8% when compared to 2021.
This morning, the police commissioner disclosed that the daily murder average has since been reduced to 2.5.
And he said that the gap in murders between last year and this year has moved from a high of 8% to 1.5% currently.
“This has been achieved through a suite of legislative, intelligence and operational responses.”
Anderson charged that the SOEs have proven to be the quickest and most effective way of reducing violent crime.
During the first period of the SOEs in November, murders were reduced from as high as 64% and increased by 171% when the security measures were removed over the first 7-day period, Anderson outlined.
When the powers were reinstituted, we recorded declines as high as 55%, he added.
“As we close this year and move into next year, it is critical for us to sustain the downward trend using all the tools that we know are effective in curbing the violence that we continue to see.”
Meanwhile, Anderson disclosed that Jamaica's murder tally currently stands at 1,481.
This, he said, represents an increase of 1.2% above last year.
He noted that this is coming from an increase of 8% three months ago.
So far in December, he said the month has seen about 50% fewer murders compared to the 127 recorded during the period last year.
Anderson noted that no murders were recorded yesterday.
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