KINGSTON, Jamaica— The police are reporting a 31 per cent decline in all major crimes since the start of the year with murders down by 34 per cent over the corresponding period of 2022.

Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson, who provided the statistics at a digital press briefing on Tuesday, said that shootings are down by 26 per cent, rapes by 44 per cent, and break-ins, seven per cent.

He said that gang conflicts accounted for 65 per cent of all murders committed during the period.

“Interpersonal conflicts accounted for 22 per cent, while three per cent occurred in the furtherance of other criminal acts and 10 per cent are still being determined,” he noted.

“We note the significant number of murders from interpersonal conflicts impacting police divisions and we renew our appeal to citizens – if you are aware of a domestic dispute or other interpersonal conflict, report it to the police so we can intervene,” Major General Anderson urged.

Turning to other matters, the police commissioner said that the process of boosting the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is ongoing.

He informed that the target of adding more than 1,200 members to the organisation by the end of the financial year is moving apace and invited young people who want to make a positive impact on the society to apply to join the force.

In addition, he said the fleet of motorcycles was recently boosted with disbursements to St Catherine North, St Andrew North, St Elizabeth, and St James.

“We continue to train additional motorcycle drivers as we expand our quick-response team’s capability,” he said, noting that the bikes allow for prompt response in and around town centres.