TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Commander of the Trelawny Police Division, Superintendent Winston Milton has sought to assure the public that beaches in the parish are safe for swimming and not overrun with sharks as rumoured in some quarters.

“The concern now in the public domain is that the waters along our coastline are infested with sharks and is unsafe for swimming. I must state that after consulting with marine interests within the space and the fisherfolks here, there is nothing to indicate this. There is nothing to indicate that there is an infestation of sharks in our waters,” Superintendent Milton said.

He further stated: “At this point there has been no reports of any sighting of sharks in the waters that are being used for bathing by swimmers along the coastline of Trelawny and it’s reasonable to say that our beaches here in Trelawny are relatively safe for persons to go swimming.”

The concern was ostensibly sparked in the wake of Tuesday morning’s recovery of the mutilated body of 16-year-old William Knibb Memorial High School student Jahmari Reid, off the coastline of Falmouth, which is speculated to have been the result of a shark attack.

Milton, who noted that the body was found two miles off the Falmouth coastline, however, argued that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that Reid was the victim of a shark attack.

“Speculation is rife that the body had been mutilated by sharks at sea. However, I must state categorically that there is nothing imperial to support this. The body was found some two miles from the shoreline of Trelawny where the youngster was fishing.  This is a popular fishing spot for fisherfolks,” the head of the Trelawny Police Division said.

Noting that there is a strong likelihood that the mutilated corpse recovered from sea is that of Reid, Milton said investigators are however awaiting scientific evidence to conclusively prove the identity of the body.

“The Trelawny police are aware of concerns in the public domain in relation to the mutilated body that was found at sea. There is a possibility that this body may be that of Jahmari Reid, a 16-year-old student of William Knibb high school who went fishing Monday morning.  Notwithstanding, we await DNA for confirmation,” Superintendent Milton said.