More than 1,000 murders have been recorded in Jamaica so far this year.

The latest crime statistics compiled by the Jamaica Constabulary Force revealed that Jamaica has once again exceeded 1,000 murders in a calendar year.

According to the data released on Thursday, September 28, 2023, Jamaica recorded 1,028 murders between January 1, 2023, and September 26, 2023.

The authorities said the number of murders this year was 136 less than the 1,164 recorded during the same period in 2022, representing a decrease of 11%

The data indicated that 732 people had gotten injured in violent attacks.

The parish of St. James continues to lead Jamaica in homicides, with 144 murders.

St. Andrew South recorded 93 murders, Westmoreland 91, St. Catherine North with 86 and Clarendon 83.

According to the authorities, homicides and shootings are trending downward in thirteen 19 police divisions.

The police are currently investigating 293 cases of rape.

The St. Ann division recorded 28 cases of rape, most of which were against children, while St. Catherine South recorded 25.

St. Mary has seen a 350 percent surge in rape cases. So far this year, the parish recorded 18.

The Police High Command said the nation has seen a 13 percent reduction in significant crimes recorded this year.

The security forces have intensified operational activities across the island over the last week, targeting gangs, wanted suspects, and illegal weapons.

The police shot and killed three men during confrontations with gunmen in Westmoreland and Old Harbor, St. Catherine, on Wednesday, September 27, 2023.

St. James police will not rest until they find their colleagues’ killers.

Police in St. James pledged not to relent until they find the killers of one of their former colleagues, retired Constable Patrick Haye, and three other men.

Haye retired in January after serving in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for over 30 years. He died in the hospital Wednesday night, September 27, 2023, after getting hit by a stray bullet in Tucker, St. James, earlier in the day.

Two other men, Glenroy Morgan, also known as ‘Crow,’ age 27, a late laborer of Tucker district, and Neville Dixon, age 73, a late retiree of Rosemount Gardens, were also killed in the incident.

According to reporting, Morgan and Dixon were on a truck along the roadway in the Tucker community when a Toyota Voxy motor car pulled up, and the vehicle’s occupants opened fire, killing them on the spot.

One of the bullets from the thugs’ guns caught Haye, who was nearby. The men then escaped.

The police rushed Haye to the hospital, where he later died.

Acting commanding officer for St James, Eron Samuels, said his former colleague did not get a chance to enjoy his retirement. Haye was 60 years old.

“He was a very jovial person. Many police officers have good things to say about him. He will be missed. We were saddened by what transpired. And we are appealing for persons who have information to come forward and give that information to the police so we can bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice,” Samuels told The Gleaner.

Eron Samuels, Commanding Officer for the St. James Police Division.