JCF Reaping Success Against Praedial Larceny

A total of 145 persons were convicted for praedial larceny offences in 2025, says Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green.

The Minister made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2026/27 sectoral debate in the House of Representatives, recently.

Mr. Green also disclosed that the Agricultural Protection Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has been established to enhance the Government’s fight against theft in the sector.

“In June of last year, the branch started out with 65 police officers across multiple divisions. Now… the branch has 115 officers, and we have already started to see the real impact in the fight against praedial larceny,” he said.

“We moved from 115 arrests in 2024 to 642 arrests last year, a whopping 400 per cent increase. In 2024 we seized 30 vehicles, last year we seized 162 vehicles under the work of the Agricultural Protection Branch. But probably one of the best statistics, in 2024, only 18 persons were convicted for praedial larceny-related offences. Last year, 145 people were convicted for praedial larceny offences,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mr. Green stated that there have been some delays in finalising the relevant regulations for the Agricultural Wardens by the technical teams within the Ministry of National Security and Peace, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining and the JCF.

“I know some of the young people now are at home frustrated, having been interviewed and done their tests, and they are ready to start training. I apologise for the delay. I urge the technical teams… to resolve this matter, so we can start training by June to have our Agricultural Wardens by December,” he said.