KINGSTON, Jamaica – States of Public Emergency (SOEs) are now in effect across five parishes and a police division in the Corporate Area, the Office of the Prime Minister announced on Friday.

The parishes are St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St Catherine and Clarendon, while the St Andrew South police division is also under the emergency measure.

Acting on the advice and recommendations of the police commissioner and the chief of defence staff, Governor General Sir Patrick Allen declared the SOEs in these areas due to “high criminal activity,” the statement read.

The security chief advised that over the period of January 1 to December 5, 2023, the St AndrewSouth Police division produced the second highest number of murders across all police divisions, with a total of 113 murders.

Meanwhile, the St Catherine North police division produced the fourth highest number of murders among all police divisions, at 109 murders. The Clarendon and St Catherine South police divisions recorded the fifth and sixth highest number of murders for the period with 100 and 94 murders, respectively. The Clarendon police division also had the fourth highest increase in murders at 10 per cent, when compared to the equivalent period in 2022.

For the Western parishes, St James continued to have the highest number of murders across all police divisions with a total of 173 murders. Additionally, Westmoreland took the third highest number of murders with 110 murders. Finally, Hanover had 67 murders for the same period and was the police division with the highest increase in murders at 52.3 per cent, when compared with the same period in 2022.

“In terms of homicide in relation to population (homicide per 100,000 population), St James, Westmoreland and Hanover have reflected 103.3, 93.4, and 60.7 murders per 100,000, respectively, at the end of 2022,” the release added.

It also went on to say that since the start of 2023, murders per 100,000 inhabitants of St James, Westmoreland and Hanover stood at 90.2, 73.4 and 92.4, respectively.

“This is significantly higher than the regional average rate of 15.1 per 100,000 and the world average rate of 6.1 per 100,000,” the release said.