NATIONAL Security Minister Dr Horace Chang has credited increased trust between the citizens and the police for the record seizure of 738 firearms so far this year.

Closing the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate in Parliament on Tuesday, Chang said the number of guns seized up to June 21 represents an 81 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2024.

According to Chang, Jamaicans are feeling more comfortable going to a policeman or woman and giving up information, including about illegal guns.

“In addition [to the firearms], 39,776 rounds of ammunition have been recovered so far this year, which is about seven times the number recovered for the similar period in 2024,” added Chang..

The security minister, as he has often done in recent months, heaped praise on the Jamaica Constabulary Force under the leadership of Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake, for the serious dent it has made in all major crimes, in particular murder, which is now 44 per cent below 2024 figures.

He said Jamaica was on course to finish the year with a murder rate of 24 per 100,000.

“Murders are down, major crimes are down, gang activity is on the decline, and illegal firearms are being seized at record levels. These are not abstract statistics — these are lives saved, communities stabilised, and families preserved,” said Chang as he charged that in some communities, nobody wants to take on the title of don anymore.

“This is no coincidence. This is the result of deliberate planning, strategic investments, and great leadership. This is evidence that Plan Secure Jamaica is working,” said Chang.

“We are living in a moment of transformation. A transformation forged not just by the policies and programmes of this Andrew Holness-led Government, but by our deep resolve to say, ‘enough is enough’.

“Enough of our people living in fear, enough of the disorder in our public spaces, and enough of the narrative that Jamaica must accept its high level of murder as normal,” added Chang.

He claimed that Jamaica is now witnessing a turning point in the anti-crime fight.

“There is a historic shift in crime and violence. For the first time in over two-and-a-half decades, the data tells a story of unprecedented gains in the parameters of public safety and security,” said Chang.