WASHINGTON, CMC - Jamaica’s Minister of National Security, Peter Bunting, says crime has severely affected his country’s economic growth. Delivering the third lecture in the “Jamaica 50 lecture” series under the theme, “National Security in Jamaica since Independence” at the Silver Spring Civic Center, Bunting said crime has affected Jamaica’s competiveness, “as we have been falling in terms of the world economic forum competitiveness index, and it affects investor confidence”. He said as a result of economic constraints, there have not been sufficient funds to spend on social services and to combat crime.