Nearly 900 Killed In Jamaica So Far This Year

KINGSTON, Jamaica, August 9, 2017 (CMC) – Jamaica has recorded 893 murders since the start of the year, with June being the month with the highest number of killings, according to official figures released here.

The National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) figures show that for the month of June, 157 people were murdered, while 138 murders were recorded in May, 136 reported in July, 123 in January, 118 in March, 109 in April, and 86 in February.

For the month of August, 26 have been killed up to Monday, August 7.

The NIB said that the year-to-date increase in murders was 159 or 21.7 percent compared to the same period last year.

“The murder figure, since the start of 2017, is showing an increase when compared to the corresponding period in 2016. Similarly, the cumulative figure, for August 4 to August 6, 2017, shows an increase of 1 or 9.1 percent, when compared to the corresponding period in 2016,” the NIB added.

The figures show that the highest number of murders – 117 – were reported in the St. James division; followed by Westmoreland, with 85; Clarendon, with 84; St. Andrew South, 76; St. Catherine North, 75; Kingston West, 59; and St. Catherine South, 56.

Last year, Jamaica recorded 1,350 murders, with the police claiming that 65 percent of these murders were linked to gangs.