The unique and sometimes comical social media posts made by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have not been in vain as Crime Stop has reported a 68 per cent increase in the number of tips made in 2022 compared to 2021.

In a series of posts on Twitter yesterday (January 17), the JCF shared statistics comparing reports made in both years.

“The social media campaigns focused on a number of areas aimed at supporting the strategic priorities of the JCF through increased engagement, which encouraged the active participation of citizens in the process,” stated the JCF in its Twitter post.

Guns, gangs, wanted men, gunmen and lottery scammers were among the focus areas for the campaign, with each area seeing an increase in tips that have resulted in arrests and firearm seizures.

Reports from the JCF state that, in 2022, 61 wanted men were captured across the island, an achievement the police attribute to the ‘Wanted Wednesdays’ campaign. The JCF further noted that several of the men captured had confrontations with the security forces and died due to an injury.

According to the JCF, the number of rifles seized also increased by 41.6 per cent to reach the highest amount of seizures in 10 years. There were 796 firearms seized in 2022 compared to the 704 seized in 2021. Five hundred and seventy seven pistols were also seized in 2022, 56 more than in 2021 and the highest number of pistols seized in 10 years. Additionally, 15,000 rounds of ammunition were seized in various operations.

The JCF attribute this increase in firearm seizure to its social media campaign, noting that “content strategy focused heavily on citizens turning in rifles for a reward”.

As a reward for providing information that could lead to the arrest of wanted men or the seizure of firearms, citizens are provided with monetary compensation. The JCF stated that J$7.6 million in rewards were paid out by Crime Stop to citizens who provided tips. Of the $7.6 million spent, $6.7 million was rewarded for information on the seizure of illegal firearms and ammunition.

Crime Stop was established in 1989 and is a partnership with the police, media and community to enhance public involvement in the fight against crime.