Jamaica has broken the thousand mark again with 1,105 murders being committed since the start of the year, according to the latest crime statistics released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

In figures for the month of September, in which the country went through a general election and saw the advent of a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government, 134 lives were taken violently.

This figure (134) represents a 30 per cent increase when compared to the 105 deaths recorded for the corresponding period last year. The figure represented a continuation of a trend for the year, in which all months except for February, April and May, saw an increase.

The overall figure of 1,105 murders also represents a 16.2 per cent increase when compared to last year's figure of 951 murders. It is, however, a 14.4 per cent decrease when compared to the 1,264 killings recorded for January to September of 2005.

With two months to go until the end of the year, and October's figures not yet recorded, Jamaica is headed towards another high murder toll.

There were eight double homicides in September and one triple homicide. As with other months in the year, the gun continued to be the weapon of popular choice, as it was used in 106 reported incidents and represented 79 per cent of total murders. There were also 132 reported shootings for the month of September, which is a 28 per cent increase when compared to last year's period.

Professor Barry Chevannes, director of the Centre for Public Safety and Justice at the University of West Indies, Mona, told The Gleaner yesterday he believes that, while there is no short-term solution to the high crime rate, the society needs to take a holistic approach in decreasing the figures.

"There are no short-term solutions to the crime problem; that is what the crime statistics are showing," Professor Chevannes said. "While last year's figures were encouraging, when compared with the year before that, we should not think it is getting high, what it means is that the trend remains the same. The problem needs deep long- term solutions."

These solutions, he thinks, should include an integration of social intervention programmes, such as the Peace Management Initiative and the Citizens Security Justice Programme, with improving the lot of individuals.