Prime Minister Andrew Holness has welcomed Jamaica’s latest crime statistics, confirming that the country recorded its lowest monthly murder figure for January 2026 since national crime data collection began in 2001, according to figures reported by the Jamaica Constabulary Force, continuing a sustained downward trend in violent crime.
The prime minister noted that 33 murders were recorded in January 2026, representing a 55 per cent reduction when compared to January 2025, which recorded 74 murders.
He said the sustained fall in homicides, particularly over the last three years, reflects years of planning and execution across his administrations since 2016, underpinned by the structured implementation of Plan Secure Jamaica, the government’s whole-of-government national security framework. Introduced early in the administration and tabled in Parliament in 2016, with further details outlined in the 2017/2018 Budget Presentation, the plan aligns enforcement, prevention, institutional reform, and social intervention to deliver a coordinated national response to crime.
Prime Minister Holness noted that national security was prioritised as a national imperative, tackled head-on by his administration through sustained investments in Jamaica’s security architecture. These include investments in intelligence-led policing, strengthened inter-agency coordination, enhanced mobility and technological capability within the security forces, improved legislative tools, targeted crime intervention programmes, and parallel social and community investments aimed at reducing risk factors and strengthening resilience.
“This is the cumulative result of consistent strategy, sustained investment, and institutional reform,” the prime minister said. “Reducing violent crime is central to Jamaica’s development because security underpins human development, economic growth, productivity and national competitiveness.”
Holness said that the government remains focused on moving Jamaica toward a state of sustainable safety and security, one that not only reduces crime but actively builds peace. He emphasised that lasting security requires strengthening social cohesion, empowering communities, and fostering a culture of peace across society, ensuring that gains are sustainable and that every Jamaican can live with dignity, stability, and confidence in the future.