Major crimes decrease - JCF report
Published:Friday | July 29, 2011 | 12:00 AM
The downward trend in major crimes which started May 2010 has continued over the first six months of this year, according to police statistics.
Data released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) yesterday showed sharp to moderate reductions in murders, shootings, rapes and cases of carnal abuse between January and June this year.
Robbery and larceny were the only categories to show an increase.
The release of the data coincides with a recent spate of gruesome killings.
These include the fatal shooting of a nine-year-old girl in St Catherine, and the decapitation of four people - three in St Catherine and one in the east rural St Andrew community of Bedward Gardens.
A breakdown of the statistics show that 511 homicides were reported over the first six months of this year, 334 less than the number recorded for the corresponding period last year.
Fewer shootings
It also showed that over that period, there were 600 shootings, 264 less than the same period last year and 325 rapes, 25 less than last year.
The statistics, which were released by the JCF's director of communications, Karl Angell, revealed that there were 103 more robberies in the first six months of this year when compared to the 1,426 recorded for the same period last year.
The police also seized 237 illegal firearms and 4,447 assorted rounds of ammunition over the six-month period.
Between January and June last year the police seized 403 illegal firearms and just under 16,000 assorted rounds of ammunition, nearly 11,000 of which were seized during the Munster Road raid in eastern St Andrew last February.
A breakdown of the police statistics show that the 98 murders recorded in May was the most for any one-month period, while the 72 recorded in March were the least.
The downward trend in major crimes started taking shape last year May after the security forces used their incursion into the west Kingston community of Tivoli Gardens, to capture then fugitive Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, as a springboard to launch a major offensive against criminal gangs.