Nish: Hanover looking at new strategies to sustain crime reduction
Published:Tuesday | October 14, 2025 | 12:10 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN NUREAU:
Superintendent Andrew Nish, head of the Hanover Police Division, says he is encouraged by a significant decline in murders and shootings in the western parish. Despite this overall drop in major crimes, Nish expressed concern about stagnant figures in larceny and aggravated assault cases, which have remained the same year-on-year.
Speaking at last Thursday’s meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation, Nish said he was concerned about the two categories although they had not reached an alarming level.
“Presently, as it relates to our statistics, we are doing well in terms of what we do in reducing crime; however, a lot more needs to be done,” Nish told the meeting. “For example, for larceny, last year up to this time of year, we had eight, and we are at the same figure for this year. Similarly with aggravated assault, we had four, and we are at the same figure for 2025.”
He noted that murder had fallen from 42 over the period last year to 17 this year, and shootings from 45 to 18.
“Overall, in terms of major crimes, we are having a 41 per cent reduction within the parish,” said the commander.
Nish said that Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has set a target of under 1,000 murders for the year across the island, and he is pleased that Hanover is playing its part in achieving this.
“We, in the Hanover Division, are contributing significantly towards that mandate,” said Nish. “We have set a parish target of no more than four murders across the parish per month, and up to October 9 we have not surpassed that threshold. So, we are continuing to contribute towards that national goal.”
For many years, Hanover had the distinction of being dubbed the safest parish in Jamaica on account of what were very low crime figures annually. However, over a decade ago, the parish began see increasing serious crimes figures, as migrating criminals from neighbouring St James saw it as a perfect hideaway from the police.
However, with the police putting serious pressure on the criminal invaders, communities such as Hopewell, Ramble and Kingsvale, which were heavily targeted by the migrating criminals, are now seeing a return to law and order. Since the start of the year, no murders have been recorded in those communities.
The focus of the police is now on Green Island, which has recorded 11 of the 17 murders committed since January.
“It is a cause for concern, but we are employed different policing strategies to curtail the murders being committed in the Green Island space,” Nish said, in explaining the strategies being undertaken to the meeting.
Nish pointed out that whereas in 2024 there was a high number of intra-gang feuds, there is a high percentage of interpersonal conflicts this year without such connectiions.
“Notwithstanding, we are looking at different engagement strategies,” said Nish, who said that since the start of the year, the Hanover Police Division has had a 66 per cent clear-up rate for major crimes. “We are looking to go somewhere in the region of about 80 to 90 per cent clear-up of all major crimes by the end of the year.”