MORANT BAY, St Thomas — Pleased with the year-on-year reduction in major crimes, especially murder, police in this parish are determined to get a handle on the pesky problem of break-ins.

According to head of the St Thomas Police Division Superintendent Allison Byfield, there have been seven fewer murders since the start of the year compared to last year’s 12 in the same period.

“There is also a reduction in shootings in the division; we have recorded only six since the start of the year, whereas last year we had 16 for the same period,” Byfield said during Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation.

Although some shooting hot spots have been calm since the beginning of the year, a community called Shanty Town has recently recorded two murders.

“We had a meeting in Shanty Town last night due to the recent murders. We discovered that the lighting in the area is terrible and needs to be addressed promptly. We also had a representative from JPS [Jamaica Public Service Company] at the meeting,” said the senior cop.

Councillor Hubert Williams (People’s National Party, White Horses Division), who agreed that there is an urgent need to improve lighting in the area, said he has made several attempts to address the issue.

“The place is pitch black at night. It’s just very dark; you can’t see anything. An environment like this fosters a space for criminals to roam freely,” said Williams as he argued that the JPS could have been more proactive.

According to Byfield, despite challenges like these, the police continue to work across the division and it has been paying off. Two firearms have been seized in the Bull Bay area since the start of the year: one rifle and a handgun, which are often used to commit murders.

Meanwhile, the numbers remain relatively low for rape and aggravated assault. The division has recorded three rape cases this year compared to nine for the corresponding period last year. For aggravated assault, four cases have been recorded compared to a total of 16 last year.

Byfield said going forward her team will be keeping an eye on areas where there have been frequent break-ins.

“Often these break-ins happen when persons are at work in areas such as Yallahs, Retreat, Prospect, and Lyssons. We are working assiduously to apprehend these culprits. We apprehended two people last week, and we believe they are linked to a number of break-ins in the Morant Bay area,” she revealed.

The goal, she said, is for residents to live peacefully and comfortably.