CORAL SPRING, Trelawny — Agriculture Minister Floyd Green says the Government is making significant strides in the fight against praedial larceny, noting that related arrests have more than doubled this year, and the gains have been bolstered by the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s new Agricultural Protection Branch (APB).

Launched on June 13, 2025 at the JCF’s Tactical Training Academy in Kingston, the APB is tasked with combatting praedial larceny and other agricultural crimes, with a focus on surveillance, investigation, and stakeholder engagement to secure agricultural assets, support farmers, and boost national development.

“I have been reviewing the figures and we’re definitely seeing an uptick in the areas that are very critical. So, for January to September 2024, we had 63 arrests in relation to praedial larceny. For the same period in 2025, we had 190 arrests…which we think is extremely substantial,” Green said.

“We’re also seeing more cases before the court. From January to September 2024, we had 137 cases before the court; in 2025, 263 [are before the court for the corresponding period]…” he added.

Green was speaking to reporters following a briefing on the strategic direction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining at Ocean Coral Spring in Trelawny last Thursday.

The Cabinet minister also disclosed that the focused efforts of the Agriculture Protection Branch have led to a sharp rise in convictions for praedial larceny.

According to Green, between January and September 2024, there were only two convictions, but for the same period in 2025 the figure climbed to 32 — representing a significant increase and highlighting the impact of stronger case preparation by law enforcers.

“We’re also seeing increase in sensitisation meetings. We’re seeing increasing raids conducted, that is important,” Green said.

The recovery of stolen farm goods is another area which, he said, the APB is making strides.

As he continued to rattle off data, Green noted that from January to June 2025, before the new unit was fully formalised, about $2 million worth of stolen items was recovered. Since APB became fully operational, the total recovery has doubled to $5 million, demonstrating the branch’s effectiveness in intercepting and returning stolen property to farmers, he noted.

Meanwhile, head of APB for Area One Inspector Orville Bushay, speaking at a regular monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation in July, cited data that the country loses an estimated $14 billion each year to praedial larceny.

But, even as he is encouraged by the strides the APB has been making in the fight against praedial larceny, Green conceded that it is “still [a] work in progress”.

“We still have a far way to go, but I definitely want to commend the JCF Commissioner [Dr Kevin] Blake, Assistant Commissioner [Oral] Pascoe, in relation to the work of the Agricultural Protection Branch, and we will continue to work with the branch and the farmers to treat, once and for all, with scourge of praedial larceny,” Green said, adding that he is very pleased, thus far, by the work of branch.

Noting that the Agricultural Wardens Unit is being built out, the agriculture minister disclosed that the final plank of the APB plan is to begin training the wardens, adding that recruitment has already been completed.

“We’re in order to finalising the paperwork. I know the police have identified the location for the training, so my hope is that [in] another few weeks, we’ll be able to start the training, deploy the wardens as soon as that is done, so we’ll have more boots on the ground,” the minister said.

“But we also have a drone unit, which is going to be used in surveillance of agricultural areas to help in terms of the detection of crime,” Green added.

In a release Sunday, the JCF described the establishment of the APB as a “strategic imperative”.

“For years farmers and other stakeholders have struggled with the organised criminal enterprise that have cost them millions of dollars yearly, an impact that extends beyond financial loss, affecting food security, discouraging agricultural investment, and contributing to rural poverty.

“Traditional policing methods, while important, often lack the specialised knowledge and resources required to effectively tackle praedial larceny and other farm theft,” the JCF release said. “The APB, as a dedicated unit, will develop expertise in agricultural crime investigation, including understanding farming practices, livestock identification, and market dynamics for stolen goods. This specialisation allows for more targeted and effective interventions.”

The JCF also said that beyond reactive investigations, the APB can implement proactive strategies such as increased patrols in vulnerable farming areas, increase community engagement programmes — which will educate farmers on security measures — and collaborate with agricultural stakeholders to develop preventative solutions.

“This shift towards prevention is crucial in mitigating losses before they occur,” the country’s police force said.