KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Constabulary Force expects to have a reduction in homicides and other major crimes this year with the implementation of various crime fighting strategies.

This is according to Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, who addressed a digital press briefing today.

Noting that Kingston and St Andrew area in particular has seen a flare up in criminal activities, Anderson said the police have implemented a number of strategies to deal with that fluidity across the lower belt of the parishes.

Among the measures is a quick response/quick reaction team that can respond to crimes all across that belt. The commissioner said this team will be rolled out in the next few weeks.

“They will be trained in the tactical use and are being trained in the tactical use of motorcycles and their weapons to respond quickly to gang activities and other threats to the lower part of Kingston,” Anderson said.

He said it will eventually expand up into the northern part of Kingston and St Andrew.

“We are also restructuring how we police Kingston as we speak to lose some of those artificial boundaries that were traditional into a more fluid citywide policing strategy.

“We will see flares, and every now and then things will happen, as happened in the case of the homeless people.

“We will respond to them quickly to ensure that when it happens it doesn’t continue to happen and also to get people in custody. We have one person in custody in relation to that,” the police commissioner said.

He added that, “We’re reducing the space with the tools available to us and we’re creating new tools to stop the gang violence and bloodletting on one sense but to create an environment of greater safety whether it is on our roads or in our commercial areas and over this year we’re focussing more on public safety, public order while at the same time targeting those gang members and criminals who are bent on murder and murdering each other and the families and associates of other gang members.”