(Jamaica Gleaner) A total of 948 persons have been murdered across Jamaica since the start of the year, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has told the Parliament.
In addition, he says there have been 908 shootings.
Holness did not give any comparative figures for the corresponding period last year, but cited the tallies as he sought to make a case for a three-month extension of the State of Public Emergency in the parishes of Clarendon and St Catherine.
The measure was declared on September 5, initially for 14 days.
In the meantime, Holness said since the start of the year, three police divisions have each recorded 100 or more killings.
The St Andrew South Police Division leads the way with 107 murders, followed by St James and Clarendon, which have each recorded 100.
Holness said, in the week after the SOE was declared in Clarendon, there were four murders, that’s 11 fewer than the 15 reported the week before the enhanced security measure was imposed.
In 2018 there were 1,287 murders in Jamaica, down by almost 22 per cent from the 1,641 murders in 2017.
