KINGSTON – A total of 24 murders have been committed over the first seven days of the year, but the police yesterday warned that they will not allow criminals to erode the gains made in their fight against crime in 2014, which saw the lowest murder toll in 11 years.
The 24 murders up to January 7 far exceed the 10 killings that were reported over the same period last year.
“There is much to do in 2015. We are barely a week into the year already and we have an upsurge that has claimed 24 victims,” Police Commissioner Carl Williams told a Press conference yesterday.
“I want to assure the country that we are responding to this spate of killings and we will get it under control,” said the police commissioner as he addressed a group of journalists at his offices on Old Hope Road in St Andrew.
The police chief said that the strategy moving forward will include measures already in place to deploy additional resources to the areas mostly affected, namely Spanish Town and its environs in St Catherine and Montego Bay, St James.
“We are being fully supported by the JDF in this endeavour,” Commissioner Williams said, adding that those behind the crime surge will be caught.
“We have good and credible intelligence on the identities of the killers in most instances, and our investigative machinery is already in high gear to apprehend them,” Williams.
Last year, Jamaica recorded 1 005 murders — a 16 per cent decline over 2013. Overall, serious and violent crimes were down 16 per cent over 2013, shootings by 12 per cent; rape by 23 per cent and aggravated assault by 17 per cent. (Jamaica Observer)
