'A major success' - St James realises 69 per cent drop in murders

Buoyed by the seizure of 75 illegal guns, some 1,500 rounds of ammunition, and a drop in murder from 215 to 66 when compared with last year, Senior Superintendent of Police Anthony Morris, who heads the state of public emergency (SOE) in St James, is hailing the security measure as a resounding success.

"Since the inception of the state of public emergency, there have been 66 murders to date. In comparison, last year (over the same period), we were at 215 murders," said Morris. "That is a reduction of 69 per cent ... in any language, that is a success story."

According to Morris, in the period under review, the security forces carried out some 2,700 raids, which have robbed criminals of some of their comfort zones and put them to flight. Several wanted men and other persons of interest have been arrested over the period.

"We have searched over half a million vehicles, detained some 3,600 individuals. We have had over 880 community meetings. We have conducted over 1,300 spot checks ... that's a lot of activities.

"These activities have borne fruit for St James," added Morris in reference to the relative calm, which has moved St James from the dubious position of being Jamaica's undisputed murder capital to being relatively safe.