Murders down, theft up

ST James is far safer than it was a decade ago when murders topped 300 in some years, says police divisional commander Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels. But Hurricane Melissa has triggered a new crime headache, with larceny and break-ins surging as overseas property owners returned after the Category 5 storm to find their homes burgled. Speaking on the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Force4Good Podcast, Samuels said the absence of electricity and water after the October 28, 2025 hurricane kept many overseas property owners away from their homes in Montego Bay and the wider St James. “So a lot of them came back in the Christmas to the new year period, and we had a huge surge of reports of break-ins and those sort of crimes in the January/ February period. So that resulted in us getting a large amount of reports,” he said. He acknowledged that there was a 126 per cent increase in larceny and a 79 per cent rise in break-ins, noting that the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa had contributed to the increases. “Now, we’re not going to hide these numbers because it tells the true story of what is taking place,” Samuels said. He noted that the police had responded by increasing patrols in affected communities and asking residents to report unfamiliar people whose presence raised concerns. Samuels added the police also recognised that some people had been left without somewhere to live after the hurricane and had moved into properties that were closed up while their owners were away. “And whilst it’s wrong, they did that. But we are doing our best to ensure that we increase the patrols within that space… We have had our patrols moving around and identifying these sorts of situations where persons are squatting or, you know, living in these places, and having them removed,” he said. Samuels said the police had begun to see a decline in these crimes since the start of the year, but warned that vehicle theft was another concern linked to the hurricane’s impact. “What our intelligence is telling us as well is that a lot of people are stealing vehicles, to fix vehicles that were damaged in the storm. So we should see a reduction. However, what we have tried to do as well is… trying to get people to understand [the safety of] parking in designated parking areas, trying not to leave their vehicles unattended in areas where these things can happen, and we have been increasing our patrols at large public events, et cetera,” he added. Despite the rise in property crimes, Samuels argued that St James is considerably safer than it was years ago, when the parish recorded more than 200 murders annually. He said the current murder figures should be viewed against that longer history, rather than only compared with the previous year. Samuels reported 47 murders in St James from the start of the year to the time of the podcast’s recording, compared with 43 over the same period last year. He described last year as a record year and said the current total was still far below figures recorded in earlier years. He also said the nature of killings in the parish has changed, with interpersonal disputes now accounting for more than half of murders, based on his recollection, compared with a period when gang-related killings dominated. According to the senior cop, the improvement in safety is being reflected in how people view and use Montego Bay and the wider parish, including overseas Jamaicans purchasing property and visitors attending events. “They’re not watching the numbers, they’re watching the feeling of safety and security. People are moving back home. When we had the Diaspora conference the other day, we had most people saying that they’re purchasing property here in Montego Bay in St James because they’re seeing the safety and security, they’re seeing the developments taking place… You have all these developments taking place here in St James, billion- dollar developments, and this is only done because they are seeing the reduction in crime in St James,” he said.