Forty-four murders were recorded across the island, last week.

That’s according to Opposition Spokesman on National Security, Senator Peter Bunting, who was quoting the latest crime data released by the police.

Senator Bunting said since the start of the year, 471 murders were recorded up to Saturday May 13, a 14% reduction compared to the similar period, last year.

He noted however, that 13 murders were recorded on Saturday alone, which is a cause for concern.

According to data obtained by IRIE FM News, St. James recorded 15 murders in the past seven days.

Noting that St. James was doing well in the fight against crime before the recent flare-up, Mr. Bunting said action must be taken to quell the surge in crime.

He reiterated his call for the establishment of a specialized operations base in western Jamaica.