Chang: Lower murder rate will lead to fewer fatal police shootings

Police fatal shootings will likely be reduced as Jamaica’s homicide rate gets lower, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang argued on Tuesday. Chang was responding to a question posed by Opposition Leader Mark Golding, during the sitting of the House of Representatives. The national security minister and deputy prime minister had earlier made a statement in which he pointed to the historic gains that have led to a sustained reduction in murders over the past two years. He said that to sustain the numbers and further reduce them, there will be no complacency on the part of the security forces in going after criminals. The security minister shared that, as at October 6, there were 407 murders recorded across the country. This represents a 24 per decrease when compared to the 534 homicides during the similar period in 2025. While Opposition members welcomed the sustained reduction in murders and lauded the security forces for their accomplishment, they nevertheless raised questions about alleged extra- judicial killings by the security forces. A total of 311 people were killed by the police in 2025 and at least 231 so far this year. “I want to know whether, in the context of the very elevated, high level of police fatal shootings in our society today and over the last two years, whether you regard that as problematic, and whether you are in favour of the rapid implementation of a policy of body-worn cameras, especially for targeted or planned, special operations?” Golding asked Chang. In response, Chang said, “Fatal shootings have remained a concern but we’re convinced that the fatal shootings are a result of the circumstances under which [the security forces operate]”. “As I’ve said, the police are on the road, [if] their lives are at risk then they have to respond,” Chang added. The security minister pointed to a September 9 incident in which three policemen were shot and injured by a gunman in Mount Salem, St James. The gunman, a known violence producer, had reportedly returned to the community which is under a zone of special operations (ZOSO), and declared that he would “not be leaving again. He also reportedly threatened to kill members of the security forces. According to Chang, the gunman had publicly stated that “while he expected the police to come for him, he was going to make sure to take three with him”. “He shot three police officers; none died, thankfully. He, of course, was fatally shot by the police,” Chang noted, while reiterating that “fatal shootings [by the police] will always cause concern”. Continuing, he said, “Any loss of any Jamaican life is a concern, it’s a question of the circumstances... My understanding, and I will say it again, as the homicide rate gets lower, the likelihood is that fatal shootings [by the police] will go lower.” Chang insisted that the police are not impetuous in their actions but rather act on information and intelligence. He said while one or two incidents may be considered questionable, “the police at all times, in my opinion, operate professionally”. The security minister told the Parliament that the reduction in homicides over the past two years “is a result of the significant number of known killers who have left the space”. He cited that many are in jail, some have migrated to North and Central America, as well as to Caribbean neighbours such as Haiti. “The police activity and pressure have successfully disrupted criminally violent individuals,” he said. In response to a question posed by MP for Portland Eastern Isat Buchanan about two men being fatally shot by the police on the day they were to report to the police while on bail, Chang said he was willing to brief Buchanan “off the air”. He said in at least one of those cases, the police, in seeking to find an individual, would have issued a statement asking the individual to turn himself in. “If they don’t come in and they’re known to be involved in violent activity, the police, of course, have an obligation to track and find them. And if they engage the police, then the police will, of course, have to protect themselves by returning fire.” Chang pointed to statistics that showed that between July and September, Jamaica recorded 123 murders, the lowest quarterly figure in more than three decades. September, with 36, recorded the lowest monthly total in more than 30 years. Chang emphasised that it was the fourth month this year in which Jamaica recorded 40 or fewer murders. “Five of the first nine months of 2026 are among the lowest monthly murder totals recorded in more than three decades. Additionally, the first three quarters of 2026 are the lowest quarterly murder totals recorded over that period,” Chang said. He further highlighted, “Just a few years ago, 123 murders was a figure Jamaica could record in a single month. In May 2024, Jamaica recorded 134 murders. In 2017, the monthly average was 137 murders. Today, 123 murders represent an entire quarter.”