Commissioner Urges Persons to Comply with Police Instructions to Avoid Confrontations

Commissioner of Police, Dr. Kevin Blake, is urging members of the public, particularly those engaged in criminal activities, to comply with the police instructions.

Dr. Blake acknowledged that this year there has been considerable public discussion surrounding police fatal shootings.

“While these incidents remain the subject of ongoing investigations, it is important to place the issue in its proper context. When confronted by law enforcement, escalation is a choice, and it is a dangerous one. The police are trained, equipped, and mandated to protect life, including their own. Raising a firearm against the police will not end well,” the Commissioner said.

“The best and safest option is always to lay down the weapon and submit to lawful authority. It must be clearly stated that the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF’s) preference is, and has always been, to preserve life and bring offenders before the court. The data from 2025 supports this unequivocally,” he added.

The Commissioner was speaking during a comprehensive end-of-year review to the nation on December 25.

To give context to the discussion, Dr. Blake said the JCF has increased operations by more than 70 per cent.

“This means that there are more than a hundred thousand interactions between police and citizens over the year. While we are not happy with the increased number of police fatal shootings, the number represents less than 0.3 per cent of all police-citizen interactions,” Dr. Blake said.

He noted that the JCF’s focused deterrence strategy is aimed at throwing a significant amount of resources around the highest risk targets.

“These are persons who have made a life of killing people. In spite of this, we have and will continue to appeal to these individuals not to meet us with violence, as they can rest assured that our pursuit in bringing them to justice will not relent. I strongly believe that if all Jamaicans can join us in this appeal and these persons take heed, we can have far fewer fatal shootings in 2026,” he argued.

“These figures are critical. They demonstrate that in the majority of encounters with armed assailants, police officers successfully de-escalate situations, secure firearms, and preserve lives. Each of those arrests represents restraint, professionalism, and adherence to the rule of law under extremely dangerous circumstances,” the Commissioner continued.

Dr. Blake emphasised that the JCF cannot allow the national conversation to focus solely on fatal shootings, while ignoring the hundreds of instances where officers disarmed gunmen, prevented violence and brought offenders before the justice system.

“The Jamaica Constabulary Force remains committed to lawful, measured, and accountable policing, even as we confront increasingly armed and violent criminal elements. Our aim is justice, not confrontation, and the evidence shows that whenever possible, life is preserved,” he said.