Buoyed by the sharp decline in murders over the past two years, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness expressed confidence on Thursday that Jamaica will record fewer than 500 murders in 2026.

“I believe it will be below 500,” Holness said during his contribution to the Budget Debate at Gordon House.

He highlighted that the number of murders recorded in Jamaica declined from 1,147 in 2024 to 673 in 2025 — a 43 per cent reduction in a single year.

“It’s the first time in 31 years that Jamaica’s murder toll has fallen below 700. And the momentum has not stopped — between January 1 and March 14, 2026, murders have declined by a further 29.4 per cent compared to the same period last year,” he said.

“This is clear evidence that sustained, intelligence-led security operations and deliberate legislative and institutional strengthening are transforming our national security landscape,” added the prime minister.

He told the House that this progress has been facilitated by the strategic use of emergency measures to give the security forces the time and space to develop their capabilities and at the same time attenuate a growing problem.

“We can safely say as it is visible for all Jamaica to see that we have increased the capability of our security forces far superior to the capabilities of organised criminal elements in our society.

“The state must have the best intelligence, best communication, best transportation and the best tactical equipment and weapons to eliminate and deter criminal threats but we have also been ensuring that the state forces use these capabilities according to the law with respect for human rights, compassion for victims and protection for the vulnerable,” said Holness.

He pointed out that a critical component of this performance has been an “all-out assault on gangs”, spearheaded by the Joint Anti-Gang Task Force.

“Gangs are the engine of Jamaica’s violent crime. They control territory, they traffic narcotics, they extort communities, and they kill. Dismantling them is not a policing challenge — it is a national security imperative,” he remarked.

“And we are pursuing it with the full integration of investigative capacity, financial intelligence, information operations, legislative reform, and multi-agency coordination.”

Meanwhile, the prime minister disclosed that in the upcoming financial year, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) will move forward with the establishment of the Camp Wareika Forward Operating Base on approximately 100 acres of land at an estimated cost of $5 billion.

“The Forward Operating Base will enhance the JDF’s territorial dominance of the Liguanea Plains through enhanced strategic communications and situational awareness,” he said.

Holness said the JDF will retain a presence at its current Up Park Camp location but emphasised that the high ground of the Wareika Hills, provides a distinct advantage for the military.

— Lynford Simpson