Jamaica Murder Rate Declines Nearly 70% in May Amid Security Investments

The Jamaica Constabulary Force has long struggled to explain the annual spike in murders every May, with numbers historically exceeding 100. Recent years have seen murder counts of 105 in 2021, rising to 135 in 2022, and 133 in 2023 during May. However, in 2025, there has been a significant decline of nearly 70 percent in murders for May compared to the previous year, with only 42 reported cases so far. Minister of National Security Dr. Horace Chang credited the drop to the government's deliberate investment in security measures under Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness. Despite the positive trend, authorities remain cautious but optimistic about maintaining lower crime levels. Various theories have been proposed to explain the traditional May spike, including the timing of the Jamaica Police Federation conference and a lack of major events, but no definitive cause has been identified.