As 15 days devoted to fighting violence against women have just ended, Jamaica is experiencing a particularly serious wave of homicides. In Jamaica, violence has reached excessive proportions, the Jamaica Gleaner warns. According to the daily's statistics, the number of homicides recorded on the island is unprecedented: 51 people have been murdered since the start of December, bringing the number of victims of violent deaths since the start of the year to 1,446 (500 of them since the September elections).
Corporal Raymond Wilson, spokesman for the peacekeepers, blamed the weapons brought into communities during the election period for this wave of violence. Last week, four law enforcement officers were killed. With nearly five murders a day, Jamaica is one of the most violent countries in the world. In 2005, 1,700 violent deaths were recorded on the island.