KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the country had several significant achievements in 2024, including a reduction in serious crimes.

Holness said that the strategy of long-term investments in equipment, personnel, intelligence and leadership in the security forces is paying off.

“Serious crimes are down approximately 14 per cent and murders are down approximately 18 per cent, the second consecutive year of reduction,” Holness pointed out.

The prime minister provided details during his 2025 New Year’s Day message on January 1.

He said the country’s economic performance continued to be strong, with unemployment continuing to decline to the lowest in Jamaica’s history.

“Inflation declined to well within the targeted band of four per cent to six per cent, interest rates have come down steadily, our dollar has been trading stably over the past year, and our national debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio is set to fall below 70 per cent, the lowest in over 30 years,” Holness said.

The prime minister noted that the country’s infrastructure programme, including highway construction, water supply, broadband, parks, housing, hospitals, health centres, police stations, fire stations, and urban centres, is incomparable to any other era in Jamaica’s independent history.

“Our social safety net programmes have seen significant increases in resources of up to 30 per cent targeted at the most vulnerable. We have more than doubled the minimum wage, further increased the income tax threshold, executed the first-ever reverse tax credit giveback, and we have increased the pay of public sector workers by over $200 billion. These achievements are phenomenal and incontestable,” Holness said.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said the Government will build on the successes achieved in 2024.

“More importantly, we will take what we have learned, and the challenges expressed by our people and write the next chapter in Jamaica’s prosperity story,” he added.

–         JIS

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