Community engagement drives crime reduction in Green Island, Hanover

Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Territorial Officer for Hanover, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Nadine Murray-Brown, says targeted community engagement initiatives are helping to reduce crime in Green Island as residents and law enforcement collaborate to sustain peace.

Speaking with JIS News during the recent Green Island Police Station Peace Fun Day at the Haughton playfield, DSP Murray-Brown noted that while the community has traditionally contributed significantly to Hanover’s murder figures, this year has seen marked improvement.

“To date, of the seven murders that we have, we are only seeing two in the Green Island space, which is a very, very, very big improvement for what they normally have,” she indicated.

Importantly, she highlighted that recent killings are not linked to gang activity, signalling progress in addressing one of the area’s long-standing challenges.

“We know that they are not domestic, [and] we know that they are not gang-related… which is a good sign, because we normally have a number of murders that are gang-related in the Green Island space,” DSP Murray-Brown said.

Providing an update on crime trends across Hanover, the senior officer reported that several major offences are on the decline.

“Robberies are on the decrease, rape is on the decrease… and when you look at the overall figure, we are still lower than we [previously] were,” she outlined, while noting a slight increase in some areas of policing.

DSP Murray-Brown further indicated that the JCF has established ambitious national targets aimed at achieving significant crime reduction.

“The expectation is very high and we are doing what we can do to ensure that Hanover makes a significant dent in the murder figures and major crimes overall,” she stated.

Meanwhile, DSP Murray-Brown commended residents for their vital role in maintaining peace and supporting the efforts of the police.

“They have been doing a great job along with the police officers in the Green Island space, and we really laud them for that. We hope that they continue, and we also hope that other communities will emulate what they are doing in their community,” she added.

The fun day featured a variety of activities, including football and netball competitions, children’s attractions, and community engagement initiatives, supported by local businesses, particularly from the tourism and agricultural sectors.

The event, dubbed ‘Unity We Say’, formed part of a broader strategy to strengthen community cohesion in areas historically affected by internal conflicts and gang-related activities.

“This is an initiative that is geared towards unifying the communities in Green Island. Over the years, we have had warring factions within the Green Island space, and so the new station commander has seen it fit to try to unite all the communities within Green Island,” DSP Murray-Brown said.

She explained that the family-oriented event served as a platform to strengthen relationships among residents while reinforcing the police presence as partners in community development.

“So, we are using the initiative to see what we can do to ensure that peace is continued in the Green Island space,” DSP Murray-Brown added.

Meanwhile, Officer in Charge of the Green Island Police Station, Detective Sergeant Enroy Hanson, emphasised that the fun day is a key element of a sustained community policing strategy designed to reduce conflict across the area.

“This event basically [served] to bring all the communities together, to make persons who are in conflicts try to solve it… with the police being in the middle, keeping the peace,” he explained.

Sergeant Hanson noted that the initiative will not be a one-off event but will be rotated across communities within the Green Island policing area every three months.

He further highlighted that the approach is already yielding results, with murders in the area having declined significantly in recent years.

“We are coming from 32 murders in 2023… to 21 [in 2024] … and last year we only had 12. Our aim this year is, hopefully, to split that in half,” Sergeant Hanson said.

He further noted that there have been no reported shootings in the area since the start of the year, underscoring the effectiveness of proactive policing and conflict-resolution strategies.

-JIS News

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