Clarendon police hail major drop in crime

The Clarendon Police are reporting its most significant reduction in crime in over a decade, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shane McCalla, head of the Clarendon Police Division.

The parish’s improved crime figures mirror the national trend, with 2025 ending with 673 murders islandwide, a milestone the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has indicated had not been achieved in the last 31 years.

SSP McCalla was speaking on Thursday during the monthly sitting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation. During a comprehensive slideshow presentation, the commanding officer revealed that the parish closed the year with 41 murders, the lowest annual total recorded in some 13 years.

Overall, Clarendon recorded a 41 per cent reduction in murders, a 30 per cent reduction in shootings, and a 17 per cent reduction in all major crimes when compared to the 2024 corresponding period.

Prior to 2025, the lowest murder tally was recorded in 2012, when 84 murders were documented. This figure rose to 112 homicides in 2013 and declined slightly to 97 in 2014. The upward trend continued with 122 murders in 2015 and 130 in 2016. In 2017, the parish experienced a sharp spike, ending the year with 169 murders. Murder figures remained in the triple digits in subsequent years, with the exception of 2022, which recorded 94 murders, and 2024, which recorded 69 murders.

TARGETED STRATEGIES

According to SSP McCalla, the Clarendon Police team began 2025 on what he described as a “sub-70” mission, aimed at implementing targeted strategies to keep murders below 70. He explained that the target was later revised to an even more ambitious goal of fewer than 50 murders.

“In October, we did our analysis, we looked at the current situation analysis ... we looked at all the strategies that we had been employing. The team decided, along with consultation, and I put to them the bold charge of, ‘Can we go at a sub-50?’ And they said, ‘Yes, sir,’ so hence, we ended the year at 41,” he said.

McCalla emphasised that the statistics represented more than numerical achievements, underscoring their human impact.

“In everything that we do, we have to look at this number as the lives that have been saved, so it’s not just about what the statistics represent. I want you to do your calculation and see that the difference is the number of persons who are still alive, now in 2026, so that’s what is our aim. Our main objective in terms of our policing plan ... we approach it just as a business, profit and loss. Our profit is the lives saved every year and further reduction in crime,” McCalla posited.

SSP McCalla also reported that 38 illegal firearms and approximately 379 rounds of ammunition were seized during the 2025 period. He commended the members of the Clarendon Police division, attributing the significant reduction in crime to their discipline, commitment, and dedication to law and order.

Additionally, McCalla praised Councillor Scean Barnswell, head of the Hayes division, for his role in the rescue of a six-year-old girl who was abducted from the St Thomas More Preparatory School in May Pen last December. He noted that Barnswell and his wife’s quick thinking, alertness, and keen observation were instrumental in preventing the child from potentially becoming part of the 2025 murder statistics.

olivia.brown@gleanerjm.com

Clarendon Murder Statistics by Year (2012–2025)

Year No. of Murders

2012 84

2013 112

2014 97

2015 122

2016 130

2017 169

2018 133

2019 117

2020 106

2021 106

2022 94

2023 105

2024 69

2025 41