Murders Down 14 Per Cent in St. James

Minister of National Security, Hon. Peter Bunting, is reporting a 14 per cent decline in murders for the St. James police division since the start of the year, with other serious crimes also trending downward.

He said that year-to-date figures show that shootings are down 15 per cent; break-ins; 41 per cent; rapes, 25 per cent; and larceny has declined by 26 per cent over the same period last year. “Overall, serious and violent crimes are down 16 per cent in St. James,” Minister Bunting said.

He was addressing a ceremony held on September 5 at the Montego Freeport Police Station, where a closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system for the city of Montego Bay was handed over.

The Minister credited the decline to the implementation of various strategies to address crime in the division.

These include bringing in a new divisional commander, providing additional vehicles through assistance from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), and arrangements made for additional support to the police in the parish from the Mobile Reserve and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).

The CCTV, he said, is an additional tool in the crime fighting strategy.

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of area one, Warren Clarke, welcomed the CCTV system.

“This makes Montego Bay a part of the group of cities that boast this capacity”, he stated, adding that the police in the city of Montego Bay are also excited by the prospects of the integration  of the system into a city management system, with external partners seeking to lend support for its continued improvement.

Chairman of the St James Police Civic Committee, and Past President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Lee Bailey, in his remarks, called for continued cooperation with and support for the police so as to curtail the scrooge of crime in St. James.

The CCTV system consisting of some 19 cameras, was provided by the Ministry of National Security at a cost of approximately $55 million.