The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Peace, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, on Thursday (June 4) commended the men and women of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for their extraordinary service and professionalism, in light of the historic decline in major crimes across Police Area 5 in the first quarter of the year.
Area 5, the largest policing region spanning St. Catherine North, St. Catherine South, St. Andrew North, St. Thomas and Clarendon, has long been home to some of Jamaica’s most challenging communities.
Today, it stands as a symbol of transformation, with sustained reductions in murders and gang activity through strategic leadership, modern infrastructure and community-led policing.
Dr. Chang said the government moved strategically to make sure that police personnel have quality infrastructure and the necessary tools to perform their functions.
“We gave a commitment, which we have kept, to improve the ecosystem around the police force and made sure that the infrastructure was suitable for policing in modern life. We are not yet complete but in any change, you will reach a tipping point,” explained the Minister.
Speaking to the work under the Ministry’s Project Rebuild, Overhaul and Construct (ROC), Dr. Chang noted the need for a new headquarters for the Area 5 police.
“We have to rebuild about twenty or twenty-five stations and repairing almost all of them. Area 5 will get a new headquarters which is one of the new models. It will cost a ‘pretty penny’ but we think it’s an investment that we cannot afford not to make,” he stated.
There were zero murders reported in the St. Andrew North Division for the first quarter of the year, a period of 138 days. Overall, the Division boasts a 56.3 per cent reduction in murders, 45.5 per cent reduction in shooting and an overall rate of decline in serious crime of 21.6 per cent.
St. Andrew North also recorded a 64 per cent reduction in category one crimes, including murder, shooting, robbery and rape.
Police statistics also indicated that the St. Catherine North Division is showing a 45 per cent reduction in murders and a 55 per cent reduction in robbery. The division is experiencing the lowest number of murders since its inception in 1996.
Still in St. Catherine North, for the first quarter, seven murders were recorded compared to 14 in the first quarter of 2025. Likewise, the JCF is reporting a 68 per cent decline in murders across the St. Catherine South Police Division at the close of the first quarter.
Shooting in the division also declined by 63 per cent and robbery by 40 per cent. Break-ins are showing a 46 per cent reduction over the first quarter. The police in that division have seized 15 firearms and 460 assorted ammunition.
Minister Chang lauded Area 5 officers for their dedication and affirmed the government’s commitment to completing the expansion of modern police infrastructure islandwide.
“Technology, training and leadership will continue to drive Jamaica’s transformation into a safer, more secure society,” said Dr. Chang.
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