St Mary records 61 per cent reduction in murders – JCF

St Mary continues to strengthen its reputation as one of Jamaica's safest parishes, recording a 61 per cent reduction in murders while ranking among the country's top divisions for clearing major crimes.

The update was provided by Deputy Superintendent and Operations Officer for the St Mary Police Division, Ricardo Beckford, during the St Mary Municipal Corporation's Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee meeting in Port Maria on July 21.

"We have been enjoying a 61 per cent reduction in murders," Beckford said, noting that the parish had gone 108 days without a murder before an incident in Highgate on July 9.

He said the division has also maintained a remarkable crime-clearance rate.

“While we cannot prevent all crimes, we have been enjoying or celebrating an over 200 per cent reduction clearance in relation to these crimes. So we are, I think, third currently in the entire Jamaica in terms of the high level at which we clear these crimes,” he said.

Beckford commended members of the St Mary Police Division and residents for their continued support, noting that sustained operational efforts have contributed significantly to the positive results.

“We continue to increase our operations. Currently, we are in a 90-day operation mode. We started this operation on the 1st of June, and we have been ramping up our operational activities to ensure that we continue to prevent crimes and to increase our reduction in terms of major crime,” he stated.

He said the intensified operations have already produced encouraging outcomes.

“In terms of our results coming out of the operations, we have been reaping some significant success,” Beckford added.

The Operations Officer explained that the division's strategy includes aggressively pursuing both recent and unresolved criminal cases.

“We look at the crimes that are current and the crimes that are from yesteryear. We continue to look at them, and we continue to work to see how best we can clear them,” he stated.

Beckford noted that the police are also collaborating with local and international law-enforcement agencies to apprehend suspects who flee the parish or the country.

“Based on our operational posture, persons who commit these crimes, who would have been in the parish… would have left. Some of them leave the island, but we continue to work with our counterparts in the Caribbean and in the [United] States. So as soon as they are nabbed, they are taken back to the country,” he said.

He further highlighted the division's continued investment in community safety and security (CSS) initiatives, which are aimed at strengthening relationships between the police and residents.

“We continue to go out into the communities, the churches, the schools. We have our various CSS activities that we seek to partner with community members and other stakeholders to ensure that we keep that connection and the community feels good to have the police in the community and feel like they are part of the system,” Beckford said.

He said the engagement is critical to sustaining the parish's positive crime trends.

“We continue to do our best to ensure that St Mary is the safest parish in the country,” Beckford added.

- JIS News

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