With St Lucia recording at least 45 homicides so far this year, the government is looking to Jamaica for ideas on how to tackle violent crime.

Prime Minister Philip Pierre said on yesterday that he has opened discussions with Jamaica’s Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang about the country’s approach to reducing gun violence.

Pierre made the disclosure during the post-Cabinet media briefing on August 24, in response to questions about St Lucia’s efforts to address its homicide rate.

“I’m in discussions right now with the Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica,” Pierre said.

He said there were “very interesting things” about Jamaica’s experience with violent crime and expressed hope that St Lucia could achieve a similar reduction in gun-related offences.

“But I’m very happy, very happy that Jamaica’s got this reduction in gun crimes, and we hope it will be the same, I think, in St Lucia,” Pierre said.

Jamaica has recorded 349 murders between January 1 and August 22, 2026, a 20 per cent decline compared with the same period last year.

The country has used a combination of measures to target violent crime, including Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs), which allow authorities to impose security measures in designated communities and conduct operations targeting known offenders.

The approach has formed part of Jamaica’s wider efforts to bring down its murder rate.

In 2025, Jamaica recorded fewer than 700 murders for the first time in more than three decades.

St Lucia is not the only Caribbean country to have considered elements of Jamaica’s approach.

Trinidad and Tobago also sought to introduce legislation allowing for Zones of Special Operations in 2026. However, the proposed Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Bill, 2026 was defeated in the Senate in January after failing to secure the required three-fifths majority.