The 2023 Jamaica National Crime Victimisation Survey has found several reasons persons who witnessed crimes did not report it to the police.

They include believing that there were other witnesses, trying to protect the offender and not wanting to be labelled an informer.

The revelation was made during the launch of the survey report on Friday.

Head of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN’s) Special Projects Unit Stacey-Ann Thompson said 51.9 percent of respondents who witnessed a murder said that there were other witnesses so they did not report it to the police.

She said those who witnessed gun battles and robberies said they did not report it to the police because they did not want to attend court, they were trying to protect the offender, or they did not want to be called an informer.

For persons who were victims of household crimes, she said the survey revealed that they did not report it to the police, because it was not serious enough or they could handle it on their own.

Meanwhile, respondents who were victims of personal crimes believed that the police would not have done anything anyway or that it was not serious enough.

Household crimes refer to criminal acts that occur within a household or between family members, while personal crimes refer to acts that directly harm or threaten to harm an individual, encompassing violence, threats, and actions that endanger someone’s safety.