Almost 1, 500 people have been murdered since the start of the year.

The Constabulary says as at Monday, 1,442 people have been murdered in comparison to the 1,405 for the corresponding period last year.

This resulted in a 2.6 percent increase in murders.

St James recorded the highest number of murders with 193, followed by Westmoreland and St Catherine North with 137 each.

There were also increases in cases of robberies and break-ins. Robberies increased by 144, from 728 to 872, while break-ins went up by 70, from 867 to 937.

Meanwhile, there was a decline in reported cases of rape.