BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — His duties are many and diverse but new chief of police in St Elizabeth, Deputy Superintendent Coleridge Minto has named the recapturing of eight men who escaped the Black River lock-up last month as very high on his list of priorities.

“I am appealing to these persons to turn themselves in. They should do so with their attorneys,” Minto told the monthly meeting of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation on Thursday.

The eight high-risk detainees, including Anward Hinds (otherwise called Kirki’) who is charged with the 2015 murder of four farmers in remote Claremont, northern St Elizabeth, were found missing from their cell on the morning of June 19. Reports are that they escaped by cutting their way through metal bars at the window of their cell.

Hinds apart, the escapees — on charges including murder, robbery with aggravation and shooting with intent — are Oral “Breezy”Cole, 31, from Comfort Hall, Manchester; Richard Brown, 34, from Middle Quarters, St Elizabeth; Alrick Hutchinson, 38, from Brighton District, St Elizabeth; Dean Simpson, 34, from Turner Top, Manchester; Jevaughn Simms, 25, from Copperwood, St James; Kenneth Stewart, 30, from Beacon Hill, St Catherine; and Demar Williams, 29, from Gravel Heights in Spanish Town, St Catherine.

Minto told councillors and others at the municipal corporation meeting that three others on the wanted list in St Elizabeth were also being asked to surrender to police. He named them as Derrick Robinson, a 47-year-old farmer of Haughton District who is wanted for murder; Seymour “Max” Mullings, farmer of Joint Wood district, Maggotty, wanted for murder; and Duane Palmer of Pullet District who is wanted for rape and other offences.

The jail break in Black River triggered the arrival of Minto as commander of the St Elizabeth Police Division, replacing Superintendent Kenneth Chin who had been in the job for just under a year after being transferred from the Portland Police Division.

Members of Chin’s administrative team were also transferred.

A news release from the high command of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) last month said the changes “will facilitate a thorough and unimpeded investigation into the circumstances leading to the escape of the inmates …” The release said two JCF members were interdicted “pending further inquiries”.

At Thursday’s meeting in Black River, Minto appealed to St Elizabeth residents “who would have seen people not known to you, or if you know any of these persons, to share the information” with police emergency contact numbers, or the nearest police station.

He also made public his cellular number, “so that citizens can call me directly”.

Minto cautioned that while citizens are allowed to support people in police custody, “they must do so without doing anything to breach the laws”.

He revealed that in early July two persons were charged in St Elizabeth for “introducing contraband into a penal institution”. Another was also charged with possession, he said.

“We ask residents, family members, friends of those in custody to desist from attempting to smuggle phones or any other form of contraband to any of our lock-ups,” Minto said.

The new police chief said Spring Park and neighbouring communities in western St Elizabeth, where the Speculation gang is reportedly based, remain the focus of ongoing police operations.

Since the start of the year, six of 14 murders in St Elizabeth occurred in the Spring Park region, he said.

He later told journalists that there were five murders in St Elizabeth in June and another in early July.

No murder was recorded in the parish in May, according to police reports in early June.

Minto expressed concern about recent robberies carried out in St Elizabeth by heavily armed men.

“Men are moving through different communities, moving through with high -owered rifles. In fact, some of the robberies that have been committed in the last couple of weeks have been done by at least four men — three of whom are armed with rifles… so that must be a concern to us as police and certainly to our citizens,” he said.

Minto said “intelligence” suggested that much of the criminal activity was being carried out by men “fleeing” from neighbouring parishes, where there are special operations including states of emergency, and “coming towards our space”.

He urged political representatives to assist police public education initiatives. He noted that bars — a major target for criminals — sometimes make themselves more vulnerable by staying open beyond allowable closing times, late at night.

He told of a recent incident in which a bar was held up and robbed at about 2:00 am, when under the Spirit License Act it should have been closed by midnight.

“I have instructed my officers to enforce the laws fully for those [bar operators] going beyond the allotted time,” he said.

Gains by the police in recent times include the seizure of firearms within a 48-hour period and the capture of a man who was shot after engaging the police. He is in hospital under police guard. A gun was taken from him.

Minto told the Jamaica Observer early Saturday that another illegal weapon was seized by police on Friday night.

Gun finds and shootings show that “within our space there are criminal elements with no regard for law and order and will do anything. I appeal to citizens not to harbour fugitives, not to see things and not report it”, Minto told his audience at the municipal corporation meeting Thursday.

He said that under his watch the use of available technology will play an important role in fighting crime. The recent recovery of a stolen car was due in large measure to surveillance cameras linked to the JamaicaEye project he said.

An additional 50 cameras were due to be installed soon in fast-growing Junction, south St Elizabeth, he said. And such initiatives would continue in other towns and villages.

“Those who have cameras at their homes should share that feed with JamaicaEye,” he said.

Several councillors, including Donald Simpson (JLP, Malvern Division), Layton Smith (PNP, Myersville), Withney Smith-Currie (JLP, Brompton), and Donovan Pagon (PNP, Brae’s River) complained bitterly of rising farm theft, which they said is driving an increasing number of people out of agriculture.

They urged the revival of an anti-praedial larceny unit, which went dormant some years ago.

“In my neck of the wood farmers are suffering … Goshen, Pepper, Elim, Brae’s River … pure animal theft, cows and goats feeling it. We need that [anti-praedial larceny] unit. Please, under your watch make it happen,” appealed Pagon, who is the longest-serving parish councillor in St Elizabeth.

While noting that he is still educating himself about his new command and the various issues, Minto promised to probe the matter and to provide feedback.