OCHO RIOS, St Ann — Robberies and murders are up in St Ann but the police say they have been having some level of success in nabbing individuals suspected of being involved in those crimes.

Among those arrested are bikers and thieves disguised as taxi operators who were terrorising passengers traversing the St Ann’s Bay to Ocho Rios route. Residents have complained of being robbed by cab drivers who divert from the route and then leave them stranded in unfamiliar locations.

“We were having challenges with some bikers and we managed to have some of them in custody and they’re answering to numerous charges. We also have successes with those who were going around in taxis robbing people; we have arrested those and they are facing charges and are to face their day in court,” said senior superintendent of police in the parish, Dwight Powell.

He was speaking at the monthly sitting of the parish’s municipal corporation on Thursday. While noting that there has been an uptick in the number of robberies reported in the area, he stressed that his team has been making significant strides in solving the cases.

“We are having some challenges with robberies and have been having a challenge since the start of the year and continue to see that challenge as we speak. In terms of the statistics we are seeing some 84 robberies up against 40 last year. Significantly, though, we have been making some strides in terms of arrest to clear a number of robberies,” he said.

Meanwhile, murders have also increased, with 55 so far this year compared to 40 for the corresponding period last year.

“The increases that we are seeing are attributed to conflict related to domestic situations across the parish but the police are doing what is necessary to mitigate those conflicts and we are making some tremendous progress in terms of our crime solving initiative,” Powell assured.