This school boy sits on his lunch box, watching the police examine a murder scene on Deanery Road near Mountain View Avenue, east Kingston in this November 2, 2006 file photo, where one man was shot and killed near the Rockfort community. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

CRIME AND VIOLENCE remains the most pressing problem facing Jamaicans while corruption in government and financial difficulties are glued to bottom of the problem list.

This is according to the findings of the latest Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll conducted among 1,008 persons in Jamaica's 14 parishes.

It found that 74 per cent of persons interviewed regard crime and violence as the most pressing problem in Jamaica.

Conversely, three per cent regard financial problems as the most pressing issue while two per cent give such status to corruption in government.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 per cent and was conducted on January 5 and 6 when Jamaica had already recorded more than a dozen murders for the year.

Takes results seriously

Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of crime, Les Green believes the closeness of the polls to the spate of murders which rocked the country early in the new year may have contributed to the responses but said he takes the results seriously.

"We are worried whenever crime cause worries and the police will continue the fight against perpetrators of violent crimes," ACP Green said.

He added that winning the public support is crucial to this success.

Despite a reduction in murders by over 300 from 2006, the perception of crime and violence being the most pressing problem took an 11 per cent leap from 63 per cent in October last year to 74 per cent in the recent survey.

It is the first time since July 2006 that respondents who view crime and violence as the most pressing problem have climbed above 72 per cent.

Unchanged figure

Meanwhile, poverty, financial problems and corruption in government, all combined for a mere 11 per cent on the problem list.

Poverty accounts for the most with an unchanged figure of six per cent while financial problems dipped by one per cent to three per cent, when compared with October's survey.

Jobs, meanwhile, is no longer a big concern for most Jamaicans. Twenty-two per cent of the respondents regard jobs as the most pressing issue, which is 10 per cent less than the 32 per cent which in October regard it as a major problem.

This 22 per cent compares well with 23 per cent which saw jobs as being a major problem in July.

Economic announcement

Economist Errol Gregory has said the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) announcement that poverty is on the decline and more jobs are being created, particularly in the tourism sector, may be reflected in the results.

"The official statistics say these areas are improving, and that may be what the survey has picked up," Mr. Gregory said.

There has been a one per cent decrease among those who see the condition of the roads as a great need - moving from 23 per cent in October to 22 per cent in January - and a corresponding one per cent decrease among those who highlight water as a great need.