PERHAPS for most of us 2026 has begun as 2025 ended — nothing earth-shaking or of seismic importance happened as we crossed into the new year.

The old problems persist. There are bills to be paid and other obligations to be dealt with. Our significant relationships will continue. Some will come to an end and others will undergo serious review. The bottom line is that we either enter the year clear-eyed with a sense of optimism or we do so disappointed and with a feeling of dread as to what the rest of the year holds for us.

Whatever the mood we are affected by as we enter the year, life goes on, and we have to make the best of it. What is clear is that as adults our lives are in our own hands. Parents and guardians have to still give the best directions they are capable of to their children. They will do so with all the love they have, notwithstanding the lack of gratitude that often accompanies their efforts.

And speaking about gratitude, on a national level, the police ought to be congratulated for the sterling work they did in containing crime, especially murders, in 2026. Official police statistics tell us that there have been 673 murders in the country in 2025, well under the 1,000 average we have seen in recent years. This speaks not only to the improvements that have occurred in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) with regard to compensation, mobility, intelligence-gathering, and surveillance techniques, but also to the improved mood of our security officers who are developing a keener sense that they do matter. We expect this trend to continue in 2026.

There has been a lot of discussion regarding the number of police killings in 2025, which has continued into 2026. I refrained from using the phrase “extrajudicial killings” as I believe the phrase is often thrown about without any cogent recognition as to whether, by its definition, it applies to the police, at least to the extent assumed by critics. In my view, there are two things that need to be distilled with regard to this matter: first, and a point I have made in this space before, is that without the satisfaction of precise scientific enquiry, there is a direct correlation between the number of killings and the ability of the force, with enhanced intelligence techniques to go after and ferret out the violence producers.

In other words, the number of police killings is directly proportional to the number of these largely young men who are prepared to confront the police with violence and are sadly cut down. There was a time when these intelligence techniques were not available. Now that they are vastly improved, the police are able to be on top of their game in finding those disposed to take violence to them. In protecting themselves and perhaps others around them from withering gunfire, people get killed. This does not mean that there are not rogue elements in the force who, from time to time, will commit what can be rightly considered extrajudicial killings, but more caution ought to be exercised that this is the case. There are other variables to be considered. I believe wholeheartedly in the police using body cameras and hope that this will become a non-issue by the end of the year.

The second consideration relates to the work of the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom). This is the body that has been given the task to investigate police wrongdoing, among which extrajudicial killings would figure prominently. I believe this organisation ought to become more conscientised as to the level of information that comes to the public on police killings. They should be able to give a more scientific explanation as to the number of killings that meet this acid test. If over 100 people have been killed by the police in 2025, how many of these are lawful and necessary and how many are not? Of the 11 killed in five days so far in 2026, how many of these, on investigation, meet the criteria of extrajudicial killing? The public has a right to see the numbers disaggregated in this way so a more credible and scientific approach can be adduced. In 2026, Indecom must step up its game in this regard and end a lot of the useless speculation that abounds.

Not distant from these concerns is my hope that we will see a greater fidelity to a vibrant work ethic in 2026. This applies to both the private and public sector workers, our Members of Parliament, and, frankly, every sphere of human activity. Work should be given the spiritual significance that it should occupy in our lives. It should not merely be a means to an end, the earning of a livelihood to pay bills and for other important services.

Recognising the spiritual significance of work is delving into the core of who we are as we use our talents for the betterment of self and those we impact by what we do. It is an expression of self and evidence of who we really are. If work for you is just about a 9:00 am to 5:00 pm engagement to get a salary at the end of the month, you will not find fulfilment in what you are doing. As St Paul would advise, you will be of all people most miserable.

On that note, do have a rewarding, provocative, and, yes, prosperous 2026. Surprise yourself at the end of the year.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or
stead6655@aol.com.

Raulston Nembhard