Written by Raquel Porter
Opposition spokesman on national security, Senator Peter Bunting, on Tuesday morning refuted claims that serious crime was on the decline under Andrew Holness’ government, presenting statistics to back up his claims.
The Jamaican Police Force announced at a press conference last week that as of September 30, murders had fallen by 12% and shootings had fallen by 9%.
Rapes decreased by 18% and robberies decreased by 17%.
Mr Bunting said 1,129 Jamaicans were murdered between 2012 and 2015.
He said the administration recognized that this ratio was too high and was trying to tackle the problem from multiple fronts.
However, he noted that from 2016 to 2023, the number of homicides increased by 289 percent annually in the country.
He said this amounted to a 25% increase in the annual homicide rate over the two periods.
Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson also reported that interpersonal conflicts accounted for 21% of homicides recorded so far this year, while gang-related violence accounted for 66%.
But Bunting said the public is in distrust because double, triple and quadruple murders and shootings are reported every day, adding: “It doesn’t seem to match what the chief said.” “…” he said.
“This October, so far this month, we have averaged about five murders per day. Most Jamaicans woke up this morning shocked to learn that four new people were murdered in Trelawny last night. “I heard the news,” he lamented.
Mr Bunting also claimed that most major crimes had been on the rise under Andrew Holness’s government.
Citing the statistics at a People’s National Party press conference on Tuesday morning, an opposition spokesperson said the aggregated numbers did not tell the whole story.
“According to JCF crime statistics from January 1 to October 7, 2023, 1,070 murders were reported in those nine months + one week. This is a whopping 11 murders compared to the same period last year. What the JCF did not highlight, however, was that the comparison year, last year, had the second highest number of murders since 2010, the year of the Tivoli operation linked to the extradition of Christopher Corke. This means that it was recorded. ”
Mr Bunting said this highlights that although current crime statistics are down compared to 2022, they still represent an “objectively appalling situation”.
He said he estimates that at the current pace, the total number of murders by the end of the year will reach 1,400.
Mr Bunting stressed that the National Party was not happy about releasing statistics to the public, but claimed that Andrew Holness’s government wanted the opposition to remain silent on the issue.
“But while society cannot talk about good governance or accountability, it cannot hide Andrew Holness’s dismal failure in the fight against violent crime. The opposition PNP forges public consent against its own interests. We cannot be complicit in what happened. We not only remember it, but also the thousands of people who were killed, but also the tens of thousands of relatives and friends who are grieving in horrified communities.”