Superintendent Kenneth Chin, commanding officer for the St Elizabeth Police Division, says the parish is experiencing its lowest homicide rates over the past seven years, with a 53 per cent decline up to the end of April.

“It is the first we have seen murders at seven up to the end of April, and I continue to applaud the citizens of this parish for treating with their issues in a manner that doesn’t result in violence and death,” said Superintendent Chin.

“Also, I commend the efforts of the police in acting on information as they come to us,” he added.

Chin, who was addressing the monthly meeting of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation in Black River on Thursday (May 11), cited reductions in other crimes, including a 100 per cent drop in serious
larcenies as well as a 40 per cent decrease in rapes.

“Also, when we looked at firearm seizures since the start of this year, we had nine seizures, which is a 125 per cent increase when compared to last year where four firearms were seized in the parish,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Chin said that the St Elizabeth Police Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) continues to empower citizens to support crimefighting and foster a peaceful environment.

St Elizabeth cops are visiting schools, police youth clubs, neighbourhood watch meeting and other seminars to build rapport with citizens.

“We have been having some success in terms of relaunching and reorganising some of these groups coming out of the COVID-19 [pandemic],” he noted.

“We hope… to improve some of the interventions, so that we can have the youth moving away from criminal activities and focus on activities that are beneficial to the parish and the country as a whole,” Superintendent Chin said.