KINGSTON, Jamaica – The following is a news release from the Police regarding their stance on offensive weapons. The news release is published in full.

The Police have noted with concern the number of serious crimes (including murders) that have been committed since the start of the year with knives, machetes and similar implements. Fifty-one such incidents have been reported so far.

It has also been observed that in many of the cases, such implements became murder weapons of opportunity, as they were oftentimes on hand when disputes escalated.

Against this background, the Police will be placing renewed focus on breaches of the Offensive Weapons (Prohibition) Act. Persons are therefore being advised to desist from carrying any object that may be classified as an offensive weapon, as this is an offence.

To increase awareness, offensive weapon means:

Any firearm.

Any article made or adapted for use to cause injury to the person or which is intended by the person having such article with him/her to cause such injury.

Any dagger.

Any sword, stick, ballistic knife, butterfly knife, flick knife, knuckle buster, knuckle knife or any knife which is commonly known as switchblade, ratchet knife or Rambo knife as the Minister may prescribe by order subject to affirmative resolution.

Any rod, bar or similar implement or any stone, brick or other missiles, whether similar to the foregoing or not, or any catapult or similar implement unless it is proved to the satisfaction of the court that it was not used or intended to be used as such by the person charged.

Additionally, the following steps are being provided for persons to follow to resolve disputes amicably before they escalate into physical confrontations.

Listen, truly listen. Listening strengthens us, informs us, and makes it easier for us to respond appropriately to others to hear us when it’s our turn to speak.

Make conflict resolution the priority rather than winning or “being right.” Maintaining and strengthening the relationship, rather than “winning” the argument, should always be your first priority. Be respectful of the other person and his or her viewpoint.

Focus on the present. If you’re holding on to grudges based on past resentments, your ability to see the reality of the current situation will be impaired. Rather than looking to the past and assigning blame, focus on what you can do in the here-and-now to solve the problem.

Be willing to forgive. Resolving conflict is impossible if you’re unwilling or unable to forgive. Resolution lies in releasing the urge to punish, which can never compensate for our losses and only adds to our injury by further depleting resources and draining our lives.

Know when to let something go. If you can’t come to an agreement, agree to disagree. It takes two people to keep an argument going. If a conflict is going nowhere, you can choose to disengage and move on.