As the murder rate continues to fall, Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the country is on course to record less than 50 murders for April. With one day left in the month, the number of murders is at 42. The country recorded the lowest monthly homicide rate in 25 years in February, with 48 murders reported. “So, we’re looking at two successful months below 50. It reflects a level of sustainability that was not envisaged even now, because we have the result of police officers doing their work and all the agents of government collaborating. I would say some of our international partners have been cooperating,” Dr. Chang said. He was opening the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (April 29). Dr. Chang said the country was at the lowest quarterly murder count in over two decades, with 187 murders recorded in the first quarter of 2025. He said there were 11 consecutive weeks in the first quarter where the weekly murder count was below 15. Dr. Chang said that overall, quarterly major crimes are at the lowest in 25 years, with 898 cases recorded in the first quarter of 2025. In addition to murders, the statistics include shootings, rapes, robberies, and break-ins. “We are seeing enough indication that we are on a sustainable path because it’s a full quarter; not one month, not a flash in the pan, not a one hit. We are seeing a steady decline in all areas,” Dr. Chang argued, noting that the country could record less than 600 murders for 2025. He informed that murders fell by 18.4 per cent at the close of 2024, building on a 7.3 per cent reduction in 2023, and the country is heading to a 36 per cent decline in 2025. Dr. Chang further highlighted that 227 murders were recorded between January 1 and April 27, representing 132 fewer lives lost or a 37 per cent reduction compared to the corresponding period in 2024. “We are not just reducing crime. We are changing the trajectory. Jamaica is firmly on the path to a long-term, sustainable crime reduction, and its people look to us at a time of peace and good order,” Dr. Chang said.