According to the latest police crime statistics, 653 people were murdered in Jamaica up to June 12, 2022. This is 15 more homicides or a 2.4 per cent increase when compared with the corresponding period last year.

The St James Police Division leads the murder count with 106 cases, a 34.2 per cent increase compared to the 79 homicides reported in the division up to June 12 last year.

Westmoreland followed with 65 killings this year, or 22 more cases when compared to the same period last year.

The St Catherine North Division, where a bloody gang feud is fuelling murders in Spanish Town, is the third murderous police division, with 64 homicides up to Sunday. This represents an increase of 18 cases or 39.1 per cent.

However, Trelawny has overtaken St Mary as the police division with the highest percentage increase in murders nationally.

There were 19 murders this year or a 216.7 per cent increase when compared to the six murders recorded last year.

For St Mary, there was a 200 per cent rise in murders as 21 murders were committed in the parish this year, compared with seven for the corresponding period in 2021.

Portland is the least murderous parish in 2022, having recorded five murders so far this year.

The data revealed, also, that murders were down in nine of the 19 police divisions.

Among those reductions were Portland, down 44.4 per cent; Kingston Central, down 41.2 per cent; Kingston Eastern and Kingston Western, both down by 38.5 per cent; St Andrew South, down 34.9 per cent; and Clarendon, down 10.8 per cent.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s serious crimes report also showed that there was a decrease in the number of shooting incidents as of Sunday.

There were 517 cases of shootings over the period under review, compared to 563 for the same period last year, which represented a decrease of 8.2 per cent.

In the meantime, declines have been recorded in cases of rapes so far this year.

Some 181 cases were recorded up to June 12 this year, down from the 217 observed in the corresponding period last year, representing a reduction of 36 cases or 16.6 per cent.

Robberies saw a 6.1 per cent increase with 420 incidents this year compared to 396 in 2021.

Regarding break-ins, there was a 3.3 per cent increase so far this year. The data showed that 441 cases were recorded, compared to 427 last year.

Amid the rise in murders, robberies and break-ins, the total number of serious and violent crimes committed so far this year has declined by 1.3 per cent.

A total of 2,212 serious and violent crimes were reported up to June 12, when compared to 2,241 incidents reported for the corresponding period in 2021.