Tis the season to be jolly! But with it comes an increase in theft and a more aggressive attitude in the sales industry.

Though statistics provided by the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s statistics and information management unit over the past five years show that the number of reported robberies and break-ins during the Christmas season (December) have declined, the call for safety is still prevalent.

The data shows that since December 2010 the number of robberies have decreased by 45 per cent — from 280 in 2010, to 154 last year. Break-ins fell by 33 per cent from 325 in 2010, to 218 in 2014.

With the festive season just days away, the Kingston & St Andrew Corporation has outlined plans to keep the city in as orderly a fashion as it can.

“We have devised strategies in partnership with the police to ensure that these areas remain as clear and as safe as possible,” Robert Hill, town clerk for the KSAC told the Jamaica Observer.

The organisation which has responsibility for major areas such as downtown (Kingston), Constant Spring and Half-Way-Tree has committed to keep the streets cleared for the Christmas period and beyond.

“We already admit that it’s not going to be 100 per cent but we will do our best, based on the resources to ensure that we do as best as we can to have the streets cleared of vendors,” Hill said.

When asked of the council’s preparation to control sanitation and the towns’ cleanliness, Hill said that the council will responsibly use its resources provided to keep town areas clean.

This, however, he said, was dependent on the number of vendors and the amount of vending that happens in the area — as vending usually increases during the season.

“We continue to work with the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and through our own resources to have the places cleaned and cleared as best as we can, on the scheduled basis that we already have them,” he said.

With the season’s approach, there is also an expectation for more parking throughout the towns in the metropolitan area; but this according to Hill has not yet been considered by the council who are working to address the matter.

“We have not looked at that as yet, I know that the South Parade parking lot is up and available. There are other areas in downtown Kingston that are already gazetted as unfit parking areas, certainly the committee with responsibility for that has not looked at additional commission of parking as yet, that may be considered way in advance but for now we have not taken that decision as council on that matter,” Hill told the Sunday Observer.

Hill encouraged shoppers to be attentive when shopping and always consider their safety. He said though the police and the KSAC enforcement team will be on the road, persons ought to exercise their personal responsibility to avoid danger.

“Every year or every season that these things occur persons have to also exercise personal responsibility and keep awareness about themselves, put money where it is not easily pilfered and that they are careful where they are going in terms of when they are walking with their families or their children, that transportation and the police are well within sight of where they are going and that in case of anything they go straight to the nearest police station,” he said.

The town clerk told the Sunday Observer that there are plans for decorating the city as the annual tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday December 2 at 6:00 pm at St William Grant Park.