Kingston Western homicides slashed by a third in 2024
Published:Wednesday | January 1, 2025 | 12:31 AM
The western end of Jamaica’s capital city, known historically for its high crime rate, saw a 33 per cent dip in murders last year.
Since January 1, 2024, 56 people were killed in communities that span the Kingston Western Police Division, 28 less than was recorded for the comparative period in 2023, according to the latest police data.
Fifty-four shooting incidents were recorded year-to-date, 32 less than for the corresponding period in 2023.
“All categories of crime were down in the Kingston Western Division. Less lives were lost and less persons shot and injured,” said Senior Superintendent Michael Phipps, commanding officer for the division.
Nationally, 1,138 people have been murdered across Jamaica since January 1, 2024, 259 or 18.5 per cent less than the comparative period in 2023, according to the latest police statistics.
The St James police recorded 125 murders last year – the highest in the country – but also saw a 33 per cent decline year-on-year.
St Andrew South (118), good for a two per cent decrease, and Westmoreland (100), good for a 13 per cent dip, are the other police divisions that recorded at least 100 murders this year.
Seventy-nine people were killed in the St Andrew North Police Division, a 41 per cent increase, the highest of the three divisions that reported an uptick in murders, the data shows.
The Kingston Western Police Division is home to approximately 28 criminal gangs – including the infamous Shower Posse – which are responsible for over 80 per cent of the killings and bloodletting across several communities.
Key strategies
Hotspot policing and the targeting of gangsters are among the key crime-reduction strategies employed by the police, Phipps disclosed during an interview with The Gleaner yesterday.
Further, he said “quite a number of people” have been convicted and incarcerated “so we have greater control of the crime numbers”.
“Kingston Western is a hotspot division so most of the strategies that we employed were around hotspot policing. We put some pressure on the gangs…we tried to disarm them, disrupt them, dissuade them, among other special activities that we did around them.”