JCF strategic operations chief credits intelligence-led tactics for sharp murder decline

The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Strategic Operations Portfolio sits at the centre of day-to-day policing across the island—from major events and resort security to marine work and high-risk enforcement—Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr Gary McKenzie has told a force interview.

McKenzie, who leads the portfolio, said its mandate is to help deliver a safer Jamaica by turning intelligence into action. He described close ties with the crime and security portfolio and other branches, noting that investigators may identify priorities, but operational units must execute on the ground.

On homicide trends, he said murders exceeded 1,300 in 2023, fell to 1,141 the following year, and reached 673 in 2025 as the force pursued a sub-1,000 target. He credited scientific analysis, prioritisation of high-risk offenders, and intelligence-led, proactive policing for the drop, while acknowledging that sustaining gains after a strong year is difficult without public confidence and continued focus.

McKenzie pointed to a tiered, “spearfishing” model rather than broad sweeps. Area Fugitive Apprehension Teams, he said, pursue gang-linked and other high-risk targets with division-level support units, backed by crime-portfolio intelligence. Training and equipment upgrades—including expanded quick-response capacity, highway patrol, beat officer patrols in townships, and a tactical academy within specialised operations—have sharpened medium- and high-risk responses, he added.

Zones of Special Operations remain in use, he said, citing the first such zone from 1 September 2017 and current sites including August Town, Denham Town, and Parade Gardens in Kingston, alongside western zones. He said data show these areas among the safer spaces under a clear-hold-build approach that also supports skills training through agencies such as SDC, HEART, and NTA.

The force has also pushed proximity policing, container posts in Grange Hill, Gregory Park, and Waltham, and expanded school resource officers working with schools and communities. Public-order work, he said, relies on beat patrols, town enforcement, and municipal partners to ease congestion linked to street crime.

McKenzie said body-worn cameras in public spaces have reduced confrontational incidents and provide evidence. On traffic stops, he urged motorists to cooperate, present licences when lawfully requested, and challenge disputes in traffic court rather than on the roadside.