St. Elizabeth police detail parish outreach, Melissa response and holiday community events in 2025 review

The St. Elizabeth Police Division has outlined a year of parish work that paired worship observances and family recognition for members with youth outreach, general-election deployments and post-Hurricane Melissa assistance, according to a review centred on commanding officer Superintendent Coleridge Minto. Eleven stations operate in four zones: Black River and Newmarket; Silo, Maggotty and Balaclava; Santa Cruz, Lacovia and Malvern; and Junction, Nain and the Pedro station, with portfolio officers supporting the superintendent.

Officers took part in the annual prayer and devotional gathering at the Commissioner’s office and held divisional and other church services through the year. In May the formation marked Mother’s Day at the new Lacovia station, paying tribute to women members who balance operational duty with caregiving at home. In June male officers were recognised at a Father’s Day function at the Port of Call Hotel in Black River. For a second straight year the division also arranged a brief visit and shared meal so fathers in custody could see their children.

A summer camp enrolled one hundred and twenty young people from several communities and included a trip to Kingston. The period coincided with a general election, and the division thanked personnel for conduct it described as professional, impartial and geared to a calm, secure poll.

On 28 October 2025 Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica in what the account calls one of the worst storms on record. St. Elizabeth, including Black River and neighbouring settlements, suffered extensive damage, with thousands displaced from housing and livelihoods interrupted amid deep personal loss. Police and other essential workers remained on duty in difficult conditions; Superintendent Minto was on approved leave but shortened it and resumed command once word of the storm reached him. The division said it coordinated with ministries, state agencies, non-governmental bodies and church volunteers who entered the parish to help residents, and that support for rebuilding is continuing.

In December the division ran its third “Shop with a Cop” exercise, pairing scores of children from across the parish with officers for shopping, food and conversation. Its closing large public engagement for the year was a fireworks evening sponsored by the Urban Development Corporation, which drew a substantial turnout.