Peter Bunting

From Jamaica Observer

KINGSTON, Jamaica— Jamaica will end 2023 at close to 1,400 murders if the current rate of homicides continues, according to Opposition Spokesman on National Security, Peter Bunting.

The former Minister of National Security made the prediction on Wednesday during a People’s National Party (PNP) press conference at the party’s Old Hope Road headquarters in St Andrew.

“This is 250 murders above the average level in the previous PNP administration (2012-2016),” Bunting said.

He charged that things being done by the Andrew Holness-led administration, such as the routine use of states of emergency (SOEs) that have been ruled unconstitutional by the courts, the refusal to table reports from public bodies in the Parliament, and the decision to increase the age at which the Director of Public Prosecutions should retire are designed to distract Jamaicans from the real crime figures.

“A lot of what we see here now is really attempts to divert the attention of the citizens from the failed performance of this administration in dealing with key issues, important issues to the people of Jamaica, such as their safety and security,” Bunting remarked.

He outlined that the murder rates across several parishes show that “nationally, we’re going at a rate of about 50 murders per 100,000 population, which puts us at the top of the global rankings …where we continue to be among the highest in the hemisphere and in the world.

For more on this story go to: Jamaica Observer