OCHO RIOS, St Ann — The police in this parish are reporting that a third of the 65 murders committed in 2022 were linked to domestic conflict.

Speaking at a domestic violence pop-up clinic in Ocho Rios, St Ann, on Tuesday which was celebrated as Valentine’s Day, commanding officer for the parish Senior Superintendent Dwight Powell expressed concern about the number of murders and charged that more needs to be done to amicably resolve disputes.

“There is a lot of families still mourning the loss of their loved ones and so we sympathise with them, we are grieving with them,” said Powell.

He and team members, he promised, will be going across the parish to raise awareness about domestic violence.

“We recognise that we as a police force will have to partner to find amicable ways to tell people there is a better way than resorting to the use of violence to settle their differences,” he said.

“This year it is our intent to find some solution and so we are starting here in Ocho Rios and then we’ll be across the 10 other stations in St Ann to introduce to you that you can find more reasonable ways to settle your conflicts,” added Powell.

He urged residents not to resort to violence when relationships go sour, or when problems arise.

Some St Ann incidents linked to domestic violence include the July 2022 slaughter of three family members at their house in Free Hill, St Ann.

Months later in October, a pastor was stabbed to death allegedly by her brother in Content Garden while in another incident a man was killed allegedly by his partner’s ex boyfriend in Discovery Bay.

Charges were laid for both incidents that occurred in October but not yet for the Free Hill killing.