What a bloody new year - More than 100 murders recorded since start of 2018

Jamaica has already recorded 100 murders for the year, marking 2018 as one of the bloodiest start for a new year in recent memory.

This comes on the heels of the 1,616 murders that were committed in 2017.

According to the data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the review period is from January 1 to January 20, 2018.

Information reaching THE STAR is that 13 more people have been killed when compared to the similar period in 2017.

Thirteen murders were recorded in the St Catherine North Police Division, and a similar number was recorded for the parish of Clarendon. 

The St Andrew South Police Division recorded nine.

The bloodshed continued on  the weekend as crime scene investigators were summoned to probe more than a dozen murders.

While the country has seen an increase in killings, there has been a reduction in other major crimes.

THE STAR gathered that reported cases of aggravated assault declined by 51 per cent while break-ins were down by 50 per cent. 

Rape and robbery were also on the decline.

The data provided by the JCF for the January 1 to 20 period outlined that fewer rape cases were reported, a 60 per cent decline.

Robberies for the period fell by 16 per cent.