The Caribbean island nation has been tagged the murder capital of the world following 1,600 murders in 2005—or almost five a day—according to a government report.

A point highlighted by Jamaica’s Prime Minister, PJ Patterson in his New Year’s speech, which he made before retiring from his job.

He said that crime instills fear into a large proportion of the nation and that crime is a thorn in Jamaica’s side.

He pressed for the population to fight the torrent.

There has been an equally bad feeling in Trinidad and Tobago. Some media reports say that living in the duel nation is “four times as dangerous as New York.”

Considering that tourism is a mainstay for the economies of many Caribbean islands, the latest figures will not be welcome news as the tourism season cranks up for 2006.

In 2005 more than 380 people were murdered in Trinidad and Tobago.
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