Trelawny police taking aim at interpersonal disputes as major crimes shrink
Published:Sunday | March 23, 2025 | 9:57 PMRochelle Clayton/Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Trelawny police, led by Superintendent Winston Milton, are preparing to address interpersonal disputes throughout the parish, as, while other serious crimes are declining, residents continue to struggle with poor conflict resolutions, resulting in increased reports of aggravated assaults.
“I must say to you that Trelawny is one of the safest parishes in Jamaica to live [in]. We now boast one of the lowest crime figures, in terms of murder,” said Milton, who was addressing residents and stakeholders at the Trelawny Municipal Corporation’s Mayor’s Forum in Albert Town on Tuesday evening.
As of March 15, Trelawny has recorded two murders since the start of the year, a 71-per-cent decline versus the seven recorded during the same period in 2024.
“We have one incident of shooting reported this year as against five, so we are four below where we were last year. We are equal in terms of robbery, with one such incident reported as against one last year. We have only one incident of rape reported to the police as against five such incidents for the corresponding period last year. For break-in, one as against four,” Milton explained.
He, however, stated that the parish has seen an increase in the number of aggravated assault cases since 2025, with nine reported incidents compared to five during the same period in the previous year. Aggravated assault is a serious violent crime involving the intentional infliction or attempt to inflict substantial bodily injury, often with a deadly weapon. It is also broken down into two serious crimes – assault occasioning bodily harm and wounding with intent.
Milton also noted that interpersonal problems have been a threat to Trelawny’s crime figures for many years. He said interpersonal conflict was responsible for about 42 per cent of the 24 homicides committed last year.
“The year before that, we had 46 per cent of the 25 murders that were committed, attributed to interpersonal conflicts. What these figures are saying to us is that we have a very serious problem in Trelawny with interpersonal conflicts. It is the single most potent threat to the safety and security of our people. We are not able to co-exist in a peaceful manner,” Milton said.
While pointing to better days, Milton told residents and stakeholders that external agencies are being engaged to assist the police in their fight to bring more peace and unity to the parish. He stressed that major work is to be carried out to improve the psychological and emotional behaviours that impact how residents react to disagreements.
“How we resolve the conflict is what is critical and, because of that, we have been partnering with some government and non-government agencies to impact the way we go about treating with this. This is not an easy task; we are trying to modify human behaviour. So, during this calendar year, you will be seeing us engaging you a little bit more than we did last year. And last year, we really did engage you,” he said during Tuesday’s mayor’s forum.
In addition to that, Milton said the municipal corporation was revamping and creating police youth clubs and the farmers’ watch movement across the parish. He is hopeful that such interactive and inclusive initiatives would attract “critical stakeholders who can partner with us to work towards modifying the dysfunctional behaviour of some of our citizens”.
In furthering his update on the parish’s crime statistics, Milton also told residents that the police have successfully dismantled five of Trelawny’s six known criminal gangs. He, however, explained that members of the remaining gang have been displaced.
“The consistent and proactive action of the police has led to the dismantling of the other [five gangs] and they are currently dormant. The one that is active, the members for the most part, are displaced outside of the parish. We have been aggressively pursuing criminal elements, and we have no apology for that. And we will continue to pursue them, even beyond our boundaries,” said Milton.
“We are aware that in a lot of instances, particularly this one gang, has been staying outside of our boundaries and [is] influencing crime within the boundaries.”