MONTEGO BAY, St James — Elated over police reports of a sharp decline in murders in St James since the start of this year, deputy mayor of Montego Bay Councillor Dwight “Debo” Crawford (Jamaica Labour Party) is heartened that the tourism resort city is becoming increasingly more friendly.

In recent years the St James capital, dubbed the friendly city, has earned notoriety as the murder capital of the country.

Between January 1 to November 9 St James recorded 113 murders, which is 57 or 33.5 per cent fewer than the 170 recorded over the corresponding period last year.

However, the 113 murders is the most of the 972 murders recorded across the 19 police divisions in the island up to November 9 this year.

“The city of Montego Bay is becoming friendlier and friendlier, more than ever. This month of November we have seen 54 fewer murders in St James,” said Crawford on Friday while addressing the World Town Planning Day celebrations at Montego Bay Convention Centre.

“We must celebrate our victories; and if it is happening here in St James you can only imagine when you add up all the numbers from all the other parishes how we are doing,” he added.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang, who was delivering the keynote address, also welcomed the reduction of murders in St James.

“While you might have heard of the issue of crime, which we have to fight and I have a responsibility to do so… and I can report — and Mr Crawford gave us the initial outlet — that we are now moving back to our friendly city,” Chang said.

In fact, he revealed that he was informed by Superintendent of Police Eron Samuels, commander of the St James Police Division, that no murders have been recorded in Norwood for a year. Zones of special operations are in place in the St James communities of Norwood and Mount Salem.

“The commander [of the St James Police Division] assured me last night [Thursday] that we have not had a single murder in Norwood for a year, and one in Mount Salem, so you can drive through — and we have, in fact, put that in,” said the security minister who is also Member of Parliament for St James North Western.

In an apparent swipe at members of the Opposition People’s National Party, who on occasion have argued that the Government does not have a crime plan, Crawford implied that the reduction in crime suggests otherwise.

“I remember persons were asking, ‘What is the plan?’ It’s working. It is working minister, it is working,” Crawford said.

The theme for the World Town Planning Day celebrations was ‘Unpacking the urban planning nexus with tourism and sustained environment’.

Crawford, who argued that, “we are at a crucial moment in our journey as we prepare our sustainable development plan”, pointed out that St James Municipal Corporation in 2016 successfully tackled the issue of flooding in downtown, Montego Bay.

“You notice rain is falling, and since we did that clean-up in 2016 and have continued to do the maintenance, downtown Montego Bay has not flooded again. Proof of the pudding! Work is being done. Everytime we would have a little drizzle in Montego Bay, the gas station downtown would be flooded — and it has not happened in seven years,” Crawford said.