Amid the nightly all-island curfew and other COVID-19 containment measures, Jamaica recorded over 700 murders in the first half of the year.
A total of 707 killings were recorded between January 1 and June 30, according to data compiled by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
This is five per cent more than the 671 murders recorded over the comparative period last year.
Jamaica recorded just over 1,300 murders all of last year.
The all-island curfew, which requires persons to remain indoors and largely began at 8:00 p.m., along with a limit on public gatherings, are among a suite of measures imposed by the Government to stem the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19)
However, the JCF data shows that nearly a third of the murders recorded in the first half of the year occurred between 6:00 p.m. and midnight.
A total of 159 persons were reportedly killed between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:59 p.m., the highest for any of the three-hour periods created by the JCF.
Some 114 murders were recorded between 9:00 p.m. and midnight.
A total of 195 killings – 98 and 97 respectively – were recorded over the two three-hour periods between 6:00 a.m. and midday, according to the JCF data.
The St Andrew South Police Division leads the nation with 90 killings in the first six months of the year, a 14 per cent increase over the comparative period last year.
St James is next with 82 reported murders followed by the Kingston Western Police Division with 61.
Trelawny recorded six murders, the least of the 19 police divisions islandwide.
St Mary, with eight, and Portland, with nine, are the other divisions with single-digit killings.