50% Most Wanted Captured and Charged

In 2008, approximately 50 per cent of persons featured on the Police most wanted list were captured and charged.
This was revealed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of crime, Mark Shields, at a press conference, held at the Ministry of National Security, in Kingston, on January 27.
“About 50 per cent of those who have been listed as being wanted have been arrested and charged, but there will be a new list soon and throughout the year, there will be regular updates in terms of those who are most wanted,” he said, adding that “there is a significant reward attached to it, so we encourage persons with information about those who are wanted, to call the numbers.”
Last year the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) released the country’s top 10 most wanted persons. They are alleged to have committed serious crimes, such as murders and shootings.
Meanwhile, with the police facing serious challenges with eye witnesses, the Minister of National Security, Senator Colonel Trevor MacMillan, has reported that the JCF is reaping benefits from persons who were trained in forensic investigation.
“A number of training initiatives have taken place and the Major Investigation Task Force, has become more modernised, and the course (Forensic Mapping Course) that they did, has been very helpful and all that has added to some of the successes,” he informed.
In his State of the Nation presentation in the Senate on January 23, the Minister also cited several successful operations by Kingfish and the Major Investigation Task Force (MIT).
Speaking to the MIT, the Minister pointed to a number of initiatives that were introduced last year to improve supervision and oversight, as well as built-in mechanisms for accountability, such as the Homicide Action Team (HAT), where detectives and specially trained Forensic Crime Scene Investigators work together with the divisions and local communities, to solve cases.
Some 30 police officers were trained for two weeks in a forensic mapping course, funded by the Insurance Association of Jamaica. The members were drawn from the Major Investigation Task Force, Scene of Crime and Traffic Units. Forensic investigation is expected to help bring crime scenes to life, thus reduce reliance on eyewitness reports, as well as aid in the investigation of motor vehicle theft.