St. Andrew South police clearance rate hits 144 percent as Manderson credits leadership push

The St. Andrew South police division reports that a deliberate focus on investigations, teamwork and community partnership has driven its crime clearance rate to 144 percent in 2026, up from 16 percent in both 2021 and 2022.

Commanding officer Senior Superintendent Damian Manderson said the turnaround reflects years of investment in training and leadership. He described a coordinated model in which operations, the community safety team and administration work together on investigations and case outcomes.

"It's deliberate, not by accident, that it's an all-up approach that we take when it comes on to investigation and come out to crime solving," Manderson said, noting the division's current 144 percent clear-up for 2026.

He said the division has built investigative capacity by developing officers and pairing experienced detectives with younger investigators, advancing personnel from constable to detective constable, and using promotions to motivate staff. As commanding officer, he sits in on case reviews. Manderson added that public trust and close community collaboration will remain central to sustaining the gains.

In Manchester, a man identified as Aggressor Martin was fatally shot at a bar in Top Greenvale, Mandeville, overnight. Another man was grazed by a bullet. Police say the circumstances have not yet been established, though Martin was known to them. Investigators said he was one of three men taken into custody over the stabbing death of 40-year-old William Granville outside Players Nightclub in Nashville, Mandeville, and had been reporting to police in that murder probe until he was killed. The shooting investigation continues.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, speaking at the Tourism Resilience Symposium, said Jamaica's push for 10 million visitors over the next decade and US$10 billion in annual tourism earnings will depend heavily on community tourism, not solely on building 20,000 new hotel rooms. "Tourism does not begin at the hotel gate. Tourism begins in the communities. So, the hotel may accommodate the visitors, but the community gives the visitors Jamaica," he said.

Investors have been buying TransJamaican Highway shares amid stronger financial results and the prospect of higher tolls. Mayberry Investments senior investment advisor Christopher Thomas said the operator's monopoly position and steady revenue growth have drawn demand, with proposed toll increases expected to lift profits given limited alternatives for motorists.

Abroad, US President Donald Trump has announced a 15 percent tariff on Canada under a 1930 trade law that has not previously been used this way, covering goods such as electrical equipment and machinery while excluding critical minerals, fish and energy products, with the duties due in 30 days. At the UN Security Council, the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China backed Haiti's push for long-delayed elections, with Haitian officials hoping voting can start before the end of 2026 and saying seven of 10 departments are ready. Officials in Florida are also watching Tropical Storm Bertha, the second named storm of the 2026 hurricane season, as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico with risks of rain, wind and coastal flooding from Florida to Texas, while dry air has so far limited strengthening.