Manchester Police Reaping Success in Apprehending Criminals
October 20, 2024
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang (right), and Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, Rhoda Moy Crawford (3rd left), meet with residents of Albion in Manchester, during a tour of communities in the parish on Thursday (Oct. 17).
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang (centre), along with Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Clifford Blake (left), and Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Corporate Communications Unit (CCU), Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Stephanie Lindsay (right), tour the town of Mandeville, Manchester on Thursday (Oct. 17).
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang (left), converses with a vendor at the Mandeville Market, during a tour of the Manchester capital on Thursday (Oct. 17).
Photo: Donald De La Haye
(Cleared 4) Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, addresses a town hall at the Church Teachers’ College in Mandeville, Manchester on Thursday (Oct. 17).The Full Story
Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the Manchester police have had “significant success” in apprehending persons responsible for illicit activities in the parish, noting that 76 per cent of major crimes have been cleared up.
Up to October 12, a total of 42 murders were committed in Manchester, representing a 23 per cent increase over the 34 recorded for the same period in 2023. In addition, there have been 36 shootings since the start of the year.
Speaking with journalists while touring several communities across the parish on Thursday (Oct. 17), Minister Chang said that based on reports presented to him, the police have a “full grasp of the information in terms of the perpetrators.”
“They have identified much of the root cause of the problem, which is internal conflict in small gangs over money and other things,” he noted.
He said that the police are also better equipped to deal with lottery scamming, which is contributing to the uptick in crime.
“It has been a real challenge for the community, but the police have taken it on with the required commitment and we are giving them the required support,” he noted.
Among the measures taken is the implementation of curfews in areas where there is a high incidence of criminal activity, “to quiet down the situation and to find the perpetrators,” Dr. Chang noted.
“We are doing the required investigations and monitoring to ensure that their bases are uprooted,” he added.
Addressing a town hall at Church Teachers’ College in Mandeville, following the tour, the National Security Minister said that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is working with overseas partners to identify local players in gang activity and their foreign counterparts.
He said that several persons in the United States (US) have been arrested for participation in crimes in Jamaica.
Dr. Chang reported that in recent times over $12 billion in criminal assets have been confiscated.
He said that Jamaica has a “strong team of excellent police officers,” who are dealing with the criminals and urged community persons to continue to keep the police informed.”