LUCEA, Hanover — Data released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force Statistics and Information Management Unit have shown that three of four parishes in western Jamaica — Westmoreland, Hanover and St James — have seen a spike in murders for the first half of the year, when compared to the same period last year.

The data requested by the Jamaica Observer show that the parish of Westmoreland has been hit the hardest with an almost 100 per cent increase, jumping from 22 last year to 42 up to June 30 this year.

St James had the second highest movement, recording 103 murders, compared to 62 up to June 30, 2014, while murders in the parish of Hanover moved from 19 up to 24.

Trelawny, the western parish with a drop in homicides, had eight murders up to the end of June this year, two less when compared to the same period last year.

Last week, Security Minister Peter Bunting said the multimillion-dollar lottery scam had resulted in the three western parishes of St James, Hanover and Westmoreland recording the highest number of murders being committed across the country.

“It is no coincidence that the parishes with the most active lottery scamming are the parishes where we are getting the most murders. Anywhere you find lottery scamming, murders always follow,” said the security minister.

Bunting, who was speaking at the Hanover leg of the People’s National Party Face to Face meeting at the Anglican Church Hall on Watson Taylor Drive, said on a closer look at the statistics, the multimillion-dollar lottery scam has accounted for 36 per cent or more than one in three of the murders committed.

Police statistics also showed that murders were up in St Mary, moving from 13 to 15; from 17 to 21 in St Ann; also from 17 to 21 in Manchester; from 43 to 56 in Clarendon; from 64 to 68 in St Catherine North (Spanish Town); 11 to 24 in St Andrew North; 5 to 12 in St Thomas; moving from 21 to 27 in Kingston Central; and from 22 to 29 in St Andrew Central.

Several divisions, however, recorded declines in homicides despite the overall murder toll moving from 494 to 581 up to June 30, when compared to the same period last year.

Recording declines were Portland, which saw a drop from six to five and remained the parish with the lowest murder toll; St Elizabeth had three fewer than the 13 recorded at the end of June 2014; St Catherine South (Portmore) dropped from 47 to 39, Kingston West from 42 to 24; Kingston East from 19 to 13; and St Andrew South from 41 to 40.