St James councillors urged to engage their constituents in crime reduction

WESTERN BUREAU:

Deputy Superintendent of Police Roderick Reid, the acting operations officer for the St James Police Division, is urging the councillors at the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) to play their part in engaging the residents of their divisions in a bid to reduce the parish’s crime rate, particularly murders.

Reid made the appeal while addressing Thursday’s monthly meeting of the StJMC, where he reported that St James has recorded nine murders since the start of 2026. He also noted that eight illegal firearms had been seized in the division to date.

“While the police embark on targeted operations within the communities, we also embark on a softer side of policing, where public education is very important. We have a robust Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) who do a number of interventions within our communities, and also public awareness in terms of what we the police want to achieve for all communities in the St James division,” said Reid.

“When we realise there are any sort of serious and violent crimes within communities, initially we will start with some policing strategies where we may impose curfews, and I know it is going to impede a bit on persons’ economic situations. For the councillors that are present here, you are the first citizens of your divisions and communities, and so I want you to at least engage those persons within your spaces to see how best we can have no incidents of murders for curfews to be imposed in these areas,” added Reid.

STATISTICS

In 2025, the St James Police Division recorded 58 murders, down from 125 murders recorded in the division in 2024. There were also 62 shootings recorded in the division in 2025, down from 111 the previous year.

Reid also told the meeting that plans are in place to revive police youth clubs across St James, citing the Barrett Town Police Youth Club as a successful example. In September 2025, the Jamaica Constabulary Force announced plans to form three new police youth clubs in St James, which would bring the parish’s cohort of clubs to eight.

“The CSSB is the team that spearheads these initiatives, and a number of communities have been in receipt of youth clubs. I know in the Barrett Town space, we have a vibrant police youth club there. These engagements are continuous, and so we want to have as many police youth clubs right across the St James division as we possibly can,” said Reid.

Meanwhile, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, the chairman of the StJMC, told the meeting that the upholding of law and order is a multi-agency effort that will require all stakeholders’ active participation.

“The approach to order and peace in our society is not a one-off situation, a one-year situation, or a specialised operation, but it is an all-of-government approach. We will provide as much support as possible, and if it means ensuring there are other things we need to enforce to contribute to the maintenance of order where the police effort is concerned, then we will have to do that as well,” said Vernon.

“It is the breakdown of order in some areas that results in breakdown of order in other places, including social behaviour, and that ultimately leads to persons committing crime,” Vernon added.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com