THERE has been a 120 per cent increase in fatal police shootings between 2019 and 2024, according to the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom).

The information is contained in Indecom’s 2024 Year in Review 4th Quarter Report tabled in the Parliament on Tuesday.

According to the report, 189 people were shot dead by the Jamaican security forces in 2024, a 22 per cent increase over 2023 when 155 people were killed.

“The 22 per cent increase equated to a further 34 more people being shot and killed,” Indecom said. It highlighted that “in 2024, the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) were solely and directly involved in the fatal shooting of 180 people. This is 38 more persons than in 2023 and represents a 27 per cent increase over 2023”.

Of note is that 78 people were also shot and injured last year, a 21 per cent decrease when compared to 2023 when 99 people were injured.

The Indecom report also cited that in 2024 four women were shot by the security forces, two fatally.

In commenting on the overall 22 per cent increase in fatal shootings by the security forces last year, Indecom said it was “concerning”.

“However, this increase is a continuation of the annual increase in fatal shootings which has been observed each year since 2019 when the number shot and killed was 86. The 2024 fatality figure is a 41 per cent increase over 2022, and equates to a 120 per cent increase since 2019,” said Indecom.

The year in review document provides analysis of all fatal and non-fatal shooting incidents caused by the Jamaican security forces, namely the JCF, Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), during 2024. It shows the comparison across the five-year period 2020 to 2024.

“The JCF continued to be involved in the majority of fatal shooting incidents in 2024, which saw a 27 per cent increase in fatalities by the JCF over 2023,” the report noted.

It pointed out that the JDF saw the same number of fatalities last year — five — as in 2023, whilst the DCS was, once again, not involved in any fatal shooting incidents in 2024.

Meanwhile, Indecom also highlighted what it calls “multiple death shooting incidents”.

The investigative body identifies a multiple death shooting incident as one in which more than one person is killed during a single shooting event.

Said Indecom, “This feature can be indicative of the possibility of excessive and indiscriminate use of deadly force being deployed. Multiple death incidents most commonly involve double or triple fatalities, but four, five, and as high as six fatalities in a single event have previously occurred. Such high number multiple death incidents, however, did not occur in either 2022 or 2023 [but] 2024 has seen an increase in the number of multiple death shooting incidents”.

Indecom said there were 11 double fatality incidents in 2024 compared to seven in 2023. It said the total number of people killed from “multiple death” incidents increased by 145 per cent from 20 persons killed in 2023 to 45 in 2024.