Jamaica has the 2nd Highest Murder Rate in Caribbean – Watch Report

Jamaica has been ranked second on the list of Caribbean islands with the highest murder rates. The surge in crime on the small island has resulted in a staggering 52.9 homicides per 1000 people, also placing the country among the top ten nations worldwide with the highest crime rates.

According to Major General Anthony Anderson, Commissioner of Police, access to illegally obtained money is the primary factor contributing to the violence plaguing the island.

While addressing the issue and the findings of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, he said, “Rather than gang leaders controlling firearms and criminal organisations determining how these firearms are used, we find that young persons who are involved in this trade are actually using their money to purchase firearms, and those firearms are playing out in their rivalries on the street.”

The Commissioner also highlighted that Jamaica’s role in drug transportation to other countries is a significant factor in the growth and expansion of criminal organisations and their illicit activities on the island. Anderson identified these criminals as “criminal terrorists” who use “terror and fear as a means of control.”

In Jamaica, 85% of killings are carried out with illicit firearms, according to statistics he presented on Monday at the Regional Security Summit in Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, young people are primarily the offenders and victims of violent crimes. He also highlighted that men are nine times more likely to be violently slain than women in Jamaica.

Listen to Major General Anthony Anderson speak below:

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