MONTEGO BAY, St James — Detectives in St James are turning their attention to old cases as murders in the parish continue to decline.

St James recorded just one murder in May and 22 in total so far this year. The year-to-date figure represents a 67 per cent reduction from the 68 murders recorded in the parish last year.

Commenting on the encouraging decline in homicides Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Lynroy Edwards, operations officer for St James, told the Jamaica Observer that the success has been a welcome reward for the efforts of his team members.

According to Edwards, the reduction in murders has made things a lot easier for especially two departments in the St James Police Division.

“It has given the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) a chance to look back at their investigations — cold cases and old cases — to see how best they can clear up,” said Edwards.

“The Scenes of Crime also gets to relax a bit,” added Edwards.

The lone murder in St James last month occurred on May 2 when man was stabbed on Thompson Street in the parish capital during an altercation with another man.

The injured man, 41-year-old Damion Campbell, a welder of a Maroon Town address, succumbed to his injuries on May 16.

“We really wanted to have no murders, but we continue that push where we can have no murders every month,” declared Edwards.

In the not-too-distant past St James was recording at least one murder each day, pushing the parish to the top of the island’s murder chart and leaving police in the parish unable to rest properly before they were dispatched to another crime scene.

However, over the last couple of years the introduction of several crime-fighting measures and social intervention in some troubled communities have slowed the bloodletting.

Edwards pointed out that over the last several months there have been targeted operations in the division among them Operation Storm and the current Operation Storm 2, which have been reaping success in rooting out criminals.

He told the Observer that the reduction in murders has created a feel-good factor for not only the cops.

“The vision and the mission are being accomplished, and it is motivating the staff because they realise that it is possible for us to, every month, get numbers that are single-digit or zero. It is having a positive impact, and everybody is basking in the success — citizens, police,” said Edwards.

“Business confidence is up, people are feeling much safer coming out and enjoying themselves. The private sector is definitely feeling it, night life is up and even in the supermarkets I am hearing that they are experiencing a boom in the economy, basically,” added Edwards.

He said residents of the parish have been showing their appreciation for the reduction in crime.

“We are getting support from all over, everybody is calling with commendations about the safer St James,” declared Edwards.

That was underscored by St James Chamber of Commerce President Jason Russell, who lauded members of the security forces for the job they have been doing.

“We went through a month with one murder, and I think it was solved, I think that is what the police said, that they already have the person who committed the murder,” Russell told the Observer.

“There is no bad to this news, it’s more than welcomed,” added Russell as he agreed that the reduction in crime gives the police the opportunity to take on other issues.

“It’s hard when you have a municipality where eight men die in one day and then you have to go out and get statements and process crime scene and do a full investigation, arrest the individual and then carry that to court and get a conviction; that is very resource-intensive.

“So, when you get that below a point where you can manage it, then you win, and I think that is where we are now. They are now solving the crimes in real time,” argued Russell.

The Chamber president pointed to the strategies implemented in St James and across the island, which he said are now paying off even though some of them were considered rough when they were implemented.

“What it means for us, though, [is] that the hard times that we suffered with the states of public emergency (SOEs) and the zones of special operations (ZOSOs), the inconvenience of the roadblocks and the traffic and everything, it was for a reason. It wasn’t an ego thing; it wasn’t misguided.

“We have to have faith in the process,” added Russell, the proprietor of the popular Pier One restaurant and bar.

He noted that the reduction of crime in St James is having a positive impact on residents and visitors to the parish.

“I see people feeling like them own Montego Bay again, like they are Montegonians and they can walk up and down the city without gunmen firing shots; I’m feeling it.

“I’m seeing more people coming out, I am seeing a better Montego Bay. The parties looking better, decent people feel like them can go out and eat food at a restaurant and they don’t have to go through gunshots and step over dead people to go out. It’s a big deal,” declared Russell.