Murders edge up in west - St James again leads nation in homicides

Western Bureau

After ending 2025 with fewer than 100 murders for the first time in over 20 years, the St James police division is again showing disappointing figures as, based on the latest Serious Crime Statistics, the division is once more leading the nation in murders.

The statistics, which cover the period January 1 to June 20, show St James recording 35 murders, nine more than the corresponding period last year. The tally is 15 more than the 22 recorded by St Andrew South, which is next on the list.

“Honestly, I am disappointed with these statistics, and much as I don’t want to hide from the reality of the situation, just by asking me for a comment is distressing,” a businessman, who asked not to be identified, told The Gleaner after he was apprised of the situation.

“We cannot allow the situation to get back to where we are coming back.”

During May’s monthly sitting of the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC), when the murder count stood at 26, Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, the police commander for St James, attributed the killings largely to interpersonal disputes.

He said 11 of the murders were classified as interpersonal disputes, eight gang-related and seven committed by criminals.

St James is not the only western division seeing its murder count heading in the wrong direction. Hanover, which recorded seven murders over the similar period last year, has recorded 10 to date this year.

However, Trelawny, which recorded six murders in the window in question last year, has brought that number down to four, while Westmoreland has seen the most significant dip, dropping from 22 to 13.

In relation to shootings, St James, Westmoreland and Hanover all saw reductions over the last six months, while Trelawny saw a slight uptick. Westmoreland had 19, down from 27 last year; Hanover had three, down from 13 last year; while St James had 24, down from 27 last year. Trelawny has had seven this year, up from three last year.

The reduction in shootings would have been good news for the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), which has been struggling over the years to maintain adequate blood supplies in the region because of the heavy demand caused by gunshot victims.

In May 2024, the Cornwall Regional Hospital was down to just nine units of blood, with several patients needing blood for varying medical conditions. The entire supply was used in just one night, which saw four gunshot victims being admitted and requiring transfusions.

“They mopped up every bit of the blood we had available in the blood bank, and it wasn’t enough,” said Dr Delroy Fray, clinical coordinator at the WRHA. “You know what the implication is? The next day, all those elective cancer cases had to be postponed.”

editorial@gleanerjm.com