Nearly 600 people were murdered in Jamaica during the first six months of this year.
Figures released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) show that between the period January 1 to June 3, a total of 585 people were murdered representing a 16 percent increase over the corresponding period last year.
According to the figures, 136 people were killed during the month of May, 18 more than the number killed in May last year and 26 more than the number recorded in May 2015. In the first three days of this month, 5 people have been murdered.
According to the Jamaica Observer, the Opposition People’s National party says it is alarmed at the “spiralling murder rate”, and says it is offering to partner in an effort for a national mobilization to fight crime and the causes of crime.
Last year, Jamaica recorded 1,350 murders with the police claiming that 65 percent of these murders were linked to gangs.
