Area 4 police credit new tactics for steep murder decline

Jamaica Constabulary Force Area 4 says operational changes built on fresh tactics and stronger teamwork have cut serious crime across Kingston Central, Kingston Western, Kingston Eastern, St. Andrew South and St. Andrew Central.

Police reported that murders in the area dropped from 342 in 2024 to 181 in 2025 — 161 fewer killings, or about a 40 per cent decline — calling it a first for the command. Officials tied the gains to tighter coordination among divisions and a sharper push to identify and disrupt criminal networks, noting they must also keep some 260 gangs in check.

St. Andrew South has been a major focus. Officers said reversing its violent reputation meant more than enforcement alone: rebuilding confidence among staff and residents, walking the streets, and winning community trust in areas many had written off. Divisional leaders said that buy-in helped them last year break through a plan to keep murders below 100 — a barrier many thought unreachable.

Separately, the National Water Commission has imposed nightly restrictions on sections of Kingston 20. Effective today, customers in Washington Gardens, Maverly and surrounding communities will receive water on a schedule between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. until further notice. The NWC cited below-average inflows and a prolonged dry spell affecting supply from the Constant Spring treatment plant, which relies mainly on Hermitage Dam and the Rio Cobre system. Hermitage Dam is at 54.6 per cent of storage capacity.

The National Children's Registry received 14,062 reports of child abuse and other protection concerns in 2025, a five per cent rise on the previous year. According to the Planning Institute of Jamaica's Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2025, those reports covered more than 31,500 incidents, with behavioural problems, neglect and children in need of care and protection making up the largest share. Investigations finished in over 11,000 cases, and more than 10,000 were referred to agencies including CISOCA, the Office of the Children's Advocate and the Victim Services Division. Kingston recorded the most referrals, followed by St. Catherine and St. Ann.

At the Ministry of Education's Higher Education Conference in Hanover, UTech deputy president Professor Charmaine Barrett said student involvement remains central to success, citing structured first-year programmes and referral pathways for academic, financial, welfare and mental-health challenges.

In St. Elizabeth, residents say thick smoke from a fire at the Myersville dump — which began on the afternoon of Friday the 17th — continues to worsen, with haze also reported in Manchester communities including Mandeville and Spur Tree. Locals have blocked the road to the dump, forcing garbage trucks to divert into Manchester. NSWMA executive director Audley Gordon said the Jamaica Fire Brigade initially judged wind and smoke too dangerous for a full attack, that limited NSWMA intervention has since begun as conditions allow, and that crews are eager to apply cover material to ease the nuisance. He asked the public for understanding.

The Bank of Jamaica says financial supervisors remain on alert amid global uncertainty, strengthening risk frameworks and advancing Twin Peaks regulation, Basel III standards and cyber defences, while warning that Hurricane Melissa-related claims could keep pressure on insurance costs and affordability.