Evaluating police performance solely by the murder rate is one of the most persistent and consequential debates in Jamaica’s citizen security policy.

For a country that has grappled with exceptionally high homicide levels for decades, the impulse to judge the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) primarily by the number of murders committed each year is understandable. Homicides are the most visible, tragic, and quantifiable indicator of violent crime. However, relying on the murder rate as the main measure of policing is fundamentally flawed. While reducing homicide is a critical operational priority, murder-rate measurement alone distorts law enforcement strategy, undermines community trust, and overlooks the complex social and economic drivers of crime.

The fundamental issue with treating the murder rate as the primary measure of police performance is that homicides are largely driven by structural factors outside the direct control of law enforcement. In Jamaica, gang violence, intercommunity firearms trafficking (predominantly from North America), deep-seated socio-economic marginalisation, high youth unemployment, and informal dispute resolution mechanisms are the primary drivers of lethal violence. Police officers cannot alter economic conditions or single-handedly stop the illicit influx of weapons. Consequently, holding a police force solely accountable for fluctuations in the homicide rate misattributes the root causes of violent crime entirely to law enforcement capacity.

Furthermore, an over-reliance on the murder rate creates perverse operational incentives. When law enforcement leadership faces immense political and public pressure to reduce homicide figures quickly, the response often favours aggressive, short-term suppression tactics over long-term, sustainable policing strategies. Historically, this pressure has contributed to an over-reliance on heavy-handed measures, militarised raids, sweeping detentions during States of Emergency (SOEs), and high rates of fatal police encounters.

While these tactics may yield temporary drops in violent statistics, they frequently erode public trust, alienate residents in vulnerable communities, and discourage citizens from cooperating with law enforcement as witnesses or informants. Without community intelligence, long-term crime reduction remains impossible.

A singular focus on homicides also leads to the neglect of other critical dimensions of public safety. Everyday security for Jamaicans is heavily influenced by crimes such as extortion, domestic violence, armed robbery, praedial larceny, and sexual offences. When police resources are disproportionately directed towards homicide suppression in specific urban hot spots, the capacity to investigate and prevent these other offences is compromised. An effective police service must protect citizens across the entire spectrum of crime, ensuring that everyday safety is maintained alongside high-profile violence reduction.

To achieve sustainable citizen security, Jamaica must shift from judging law enforcement by raw homicide statistics to evaluating the JCF through a balanced performance framework. Modern policing frameworks advocate for holistic metrics, including:

• detection and conviction rates: Measuring how effectively the police gather forensic evidence, build solid court cases, and secure convictions, ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable through the rule of law rather than temporary detention

• public trust and legitimacy: Utilising independent surveys to assess community trust, citizen perceptions of safety, and willingness to report crimes without fear of reprisal

• reduction in non-fatal violence: Tracking shooting incidents, aggravated assaults, domestic disputes, and extortion to measure preventive success before violence turns fatal

• accountability and professionalism: Monitoring adherence to human rights standards, compliance with body-worn camera mandates, and the swift internal discipline of corrupt or abusive officers

The murder rate remains an indispensable macro-level indicator of societal health and national stability in Jamaica. However, treating it as the primary definition of police effectiveness misdiagnoses the nature of violent crime and risks encouraging reactive, coercive policing. Real and lasting security will not come from demanding that the police force fix deep-rooted social ills alone, but from holding law enforcement accountable for what it can control: professional investigations, procedural justice, community partnership, and institutional integrity.

By using a broader set of performance measures, Jamaica can better promote public trust, strengthen accountability, and support sustainable crime reduction.

Dormah B Harrison is a retired assistant commissioner of police. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or dormahh@gmail.com.