ST JAMES, Jamaica — Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang says the police are making headway in their investigations in connection with the two double murders that occurred in St James after the state of public emergency (SOE) had been declared in the parish.

The SOE was declared on Tuesday.

A day later, there was a double murder in Bogue Village. Then on Saturday, there was another on Harbour Street in downtown Montego Bay.

In an interview with OBSERVER ONLINE on Tuesday, Dr Chang noted that the police have made progress in their investigations in connection with the incidents that have contributed to the parish’s unenviable crime statistics.

“They picked up the one for double down there (downtown Montego Bay) and they are tracking down the others for the one out by Bogue Village,” he revealed.

“The police are pursuing it, I can tell you,” he stressed.

He explained that close circuit television cameras (CCTV) played a role in identifying the suspects.

“Several cameras caught them around there,” he stated.

He also lamented what has seemed to become a regular feature now in terms of homicides, where at least two individuals have been killed in the last few incidents.

“Double murder is always worrying and we have to track the roots of it. Parts of it is that criminals are getting shy of sticking around so they shoot wildly and try to escape,” he explained.

During the last few weeks leading up to the implementation of the SOE, there have been at least four different occasions where two or more individuals have been killed in an incident.