Business and tourism interests say they are encouraged by the island’s reduced crime numbers since the start of this year and are urging the police to continue working at keeping Jamaica safe for citizens and visitors.

“We are very happy and we applaud the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) on the job that they are doing, and we will continue to support all efforts to ensure the continued reduction to acceptable levels,” Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica President Metry Seaga told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday.

His views were shared by Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association President Robin Russell, who said the tourism lobby group “is very encouraged and extremely happy with any kind of improvements in crime statistics that we are seeing from last year”.

“We know that if we get our crime to an acceptable level we will see a major improvement in what our tourism numbers are. So we just encourage the JCF, the Ministry of Justice, everybody involved to continue the hard work that they are doing to make the country safer for both our locals and foreigners alike,” Russell said.

Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Oral Heaven also lauded the police, and urged continued vigilance.

“We can’t drop our hands as it relates to security because people want to operate in a safe environment,” he told the Observer.

While Heaven framed his comments against the crime statistics in St James, Seaga and Russell referenced the national figures release by the JCF which show that for the period January 1 to February 1 this year Jamaica recorded a 13 per cent decrease in murders and a 10 per cent decline in shootings compared to the same period last year.

In raw numbers, there were 73 murders, 11 fewer than the comparative period last year, while there were 78 shootings, nine fewer than the same period in 2024.

The police are also reporting an 81 per cent decrease in rape (10 this year, compared to 53 over the January 1 to February 1 period last year).

The data for St James show six murders for January 1 to February 1 this year, compared to 13 for the same period in 2024, a 53.8 per cent reduction.

There were also three fewer shootings, moving from 11 to 8, while rapes are also down — two compared to nine for the same period.

“Having a report that shows reductions year over year in most, if not all areas, is welcome news for the business community,” Heaven told the Observer.

“We, of course, celebrate what the police have accomplished and we want to see this trend continue,” he added.

“This is good news and it augurs well for the members of the security forces and encourages more business. If you have less crime then people will be encouraged to go out on the street to engage in commercial activity,” he said, while cautioning against complacency.

“We just need to encourage our policemen and women to continue to be out there, ensure that they remove these criminals from the streets, keep down the crime, and we’ll see more businesses,” Heaven said.

He added that with the decline in crime the business community in St James will continue lobbying for the security forces to get more resources.