Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the number of homicides committed in the country in the first 22 days of January, is the lowest it has been in the last 22 years.

He made the statement while speaking about the state of crime and violence in the country, at the opening ceremony for the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s Regional Investment and Capital Markets conference, last evening.

According to the Prime Minister, murders are down by 21% for the first 22 days of this year, in comparison to the similar period last year.

The Prime Minister noted that government will continue to invest more in solving crime and violence to reduce its economic implications.

According to statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary force, as at January 20 this year, 46 murders were reported, down from 57 in the similar period last year.