For the six year period 1997 to 2002, total major crimes reported to the police showed significant reduction of forty percent, moving from 12,691 incidents in 1997, to 7,501 in 2002. And for the year 2002, total major crimes recorded were down by 7% when compared to 2001.

There was a general downward trend in crime for the year 2002, with five of the seven major crime categories recorded by the police recording a lower incidence than in 2001. Murder was down by 8%; moving from 1139 cases in 2001, to 1045 in 2002. During the period under review, rape was down by 4%, carnal abuse by 12% breaking by 19%, and robbery by 4%.

The only two major crime categories that showed increase over the previous year were: Shooting up by 7%; and larceny up by 10%.

For both 2001 and 2002, robbery and breaking were consistently the crimes with the highest incidence in Jamaica.

Illicit Drugs

 Over the four year period 1999-2002, marijuana (ganja), followed by cocaine, has consistently remained the illicit drug intercepted and seized in the greatest quantity. The volume of ganja seized has generally trended downwards since 1999, while the amount of cocaine seized has generally trended upwards. Cocaine seized in 2002 were more than twenty-five percent more than the volumes seized during 2001.

For individuals intercepted at Jamaican airports attempting to smuggle illicit drugs out of the country, there was a shift towards the UK as the destination of choice. By 2001, the number of drug smugglers intercepted at airports, destined for the UK, was almost three times more than those caught en-route to the USA.

The total number of smugglers caught at our airports increased by almost 43% in 2000 over 1999, and by a further32% in 2001 over 2000. The 2002 total (736) showed a 20% increase over 2001, this being the lowest increase overt he four year period.