We have written ad nauseam in this space about the need for the major political parties to unite the Jamaican people to fight crime by being the eyes and ears of the police force, testifying in the courts, and being intolerant of criminals.

Happily, the people, we believe, have not waited on the politicians to actively come together in support to the security forces, and have seemingly overcome their fear of the crippling “informa fi dead” culture that has pushed the burgeoning murder rate.

There is no doubt that the inspired leadership of National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang and the Administration has contributed significantly to the dramatic fall in crime rates. And while they could not find it possible to work together, the political parties, we believe, have been quietly cutting links with the criminal underworld, freeing up the police to do their job.

It might be useful to rehash the figures shared by Dr Chang in April this year to demonstrate the solid achievements in the anti-crime fight: Lowest weekly murder count in 24 years – with six murders during Christmas week in 2024; lowest monthly murder count in 25 years in February 2025; lowest quarterly murder total in 25 years in quarter one of 2025; most consecutive weeks with murders below 15 since March 2025; most weeks in a quarter with murders below 20 in 25 years; lowest quarterly major crimes in 25 years in Q1 of 2025; and most firearms recovered in a single quarter in Q1 of 2025.

The trend has continued since, with weekly murder counts remaining below 15 for 14 consecutive weeks since March 2025, the longest such stretch in 25 years; and the current quarter, spanning April to June 2025, is projected to record the lowest number of murders since the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) began keeping structured data nearly 25 years ago.

Based on current projections, Jamaica is expected to close this year with a murder rate of approximately 24 per 100,000 population… representing the lowest rate since 1991, he said.

It was encouraging to hear the president of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police Darrin Simmons acknowledge Jamaica’s achievements in his speech at the recent JCF Expo in Kingston, where he stated:

“Your police force has shown us a way forward… [They] haven’t just talked about transformation, they are delivering it. While our region grapples with rising violence, Jamaica has forged a new path. The numbers don’t just speak, they shout about what is possible.

“These changes are the envy of every Caribbean nation. Indeed, any police force the world over would celebrate numbers like these. Jamaica hasn’t just improved, you have transformed the definition of what a well-led, sufficiently funded Caribbean police force can achieve.”

The next phase in this crime fight must be to lock in the achievements we are now celebrating by deliberate bipartisan policy prescriptions, so that Jamaica does not return to the bloodletting of only two years ago. In other words, it needs to be sustained beyond the next general election, whatever the outcome.

t is worthwhile noting that every major national achievement has been made on a bipartisan basis, for example, electoral reform; economic programme oversight; growth of the farm work programme, and longevity of the National Housing Trust, to name a few.