REPORTED murders in Jamaica declined for a second successive year last year.

But with criminal homicides of 971 in 2003, the Opposition warned that the seven per cent reduction was nothing to gloat about – advice that has been taken firmly aboard by the national security minister, Dr Peter Phillips.

In fact, despite the cumulative 15 per cent reduction in murders over the past two years, Phillips conceded yesterday that it will take substantial time and effort before Jamaica will bring its murder rate down to a level to significantly ease the fear of crime in the country.

“In four or so years as the initiatives in terms of the changed tactics of the police, as well as the social initiatives . and other on-going moves in health, education and sports in communities bear fruit, we will begin to see much more significant improvements (in the murder statistics),” Phillips told the Observer.

Jamaica’s current murder rate is approximately 37 per 100,000 population, one of the world’s highest.

But the Jamaican murder rate has slipped from above 40 per 100,000 two years on the back on a 8.6 per cent decline in criminal homicides in 2002 – to 1,041- and last year’s further drop of eight per cent.

“As we continue to improve the structure of the police force, our capacity to fight crime will improve,” Phillips said.

But the Opposition spokesman on security, Derrick Smith, said that there should not be premature crowing, stressing that there have been downward blips in murders before, only for the rate to rise again.

“Any reduction in crime generally and murder specifically is welcome,” Smith told the Observer. “However, the (8.2 per cent) decline is insignificant and ought not to be any achievement that the government or the security forces can gloat about.”

Smith noted that Jamaica’s murder figures – previously on a consistently sharp upward trend – have been fluctuating over the past five years.

“Whereas there has been a lull, Jamaica still ranks in the top five in the world in relation to murders per 100,000s of the population,” he said.

Smith called for a strengthening of the social aspects of the government’s anti-crime initiative, launched a year ago, with police and soldiers pouring into inner-city communities to tackle gangs and extortionists, but backed by social upliftment projects in health, education and sports.

But Smith said that the support initiatives have so far been inadequate.

“While some work has started in Hannah Town, Denham Town and Payne Lands, what was promised was not delivered,” the Opposition spokesman said.

Work, he said, “will have to be continued for years for us to begin to attack the problem”.

Security Minister Phillips accepted the need for the continuation and expansion of the efforts and said that he expected to meet early in the year with the broad-based National Consultative Committee on Crime to help hone approaches to the problem.

Murders in Jamaica 1998-2003

2003: 971

2002: 1045

2001: 1139

2000: 887

1999: 849

1998: 953