St James police resolute about keeping murders low, says operations officer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Deputy Superintendent of Police Linroy Edwards, the operations officer for the St James Police Division, says that while the 20 murders recorded in St James this year is one more than the corresponding period last year, the police remain fully committed to keeping the murder tally low.

Edwards, who was speaking during a press briefing in Montego Bay on Friday, disclosed that the St James police have also strengthened their operating capacity with the addition of 31 personnel, five motorcycles, and three pickup vehicles.

“As we speak, we have 20 murders in comparison to 19 this time last year, and we had 58 murders overall last year, so we believe that we are still on track to have another successful year. Seven or eight of the current murders are domestic related and involve the use of knife, machete, and even a fork in one instance,” said Edwards. “As it relates to gun crimes in St James, we had 23 murders last year and, this year, we have 13 so far.”

There has been a major reduction in the incidents of shootings, with 17 fewer than the corresponding period last year.

“We have had seven persons being shot and injured this year in comparison to 24 during last year. That is the clearest indication that incidents of gun crimes are significantly low,” said Edwards. “While we have our operational activities taking place in the volatile communities, we give a lot of attention to the township, because it is very important that business and commerce be conducted in a safe manner.”

It should nonetheless be noted that the 20 murders so far this year in St James make it the police division with the most murders to date, with the St Andrew South Division and the Clarendon divisions, with 16 and 13 murders, respectively, next on the list.

Overall, the island has recorded 150 murders between January 1 and April 11, which is significantly less than the 205 recorded over the same period in 2025.

Edwards also used the opportunity to call for the citizens of the parish to support the St James police’s current security operations which are primarily focussed on reducing crime, especially in the Montego Bay business district, citing the police’s success in breaking the back of a major robbery syndicate last year.

“Last year, there was a robbery syndicate that we were challenged by, and they committed various robberies across the township, and it was led by a female who is now in custody. We managed to arrest a number of them, but unfortunately, some decided to challenge us and they are no longer with us; but that is the choice they made,” said Edwards.

“Our current initiative will see us targeting persons who are coming to the township and its environment with offensive weapons, guns, or anything that can create harm or cause them to commit any crime or similar incidents towards persons doing business, or to the businesses in general,” said Edwards. “We are going to ask that you see the police’s efforts of trying to maintain law and order in the township, not as being oppressive, but ensuring that everyone can move around and do business and feel safe within the township of Montego Bay.”

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com