MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Following a major reduction in crimes, including murders, last year, police in this south-central parish are now aiming for a historic target for 2026.

“… Miracles happen from this pulpit, so I am saying we will, in Manchester, see the lowest crime rate of the history of this parish,” head of the Manchester police, Superintendent Carey Duncan, told the congregation at Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist Church in May Day last Saturday during the annual police church and awards service.

He said that “tremendous strides” were made in 2025 due to crime reduction strategies implemented by the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

“… We have reaped some commendable successes and we have impacted positively on the safety and the security of the residents of our parish, Manchester. Murder plummeted by some 38 per cent over 2024,” he said.

A total of 35 murders were recorded in Manchester last year.

“We went out with a strategy, because of what we saw happening in 2024, so what we achieved was not by any fluke or by any luck, it was by the shared dedication and hard work of the men and women who swear to serve and protect this our beautiful parish of Manchester,” said Duncan.

He reiterated that when murders are committed there is a high possibility of the accused being caught due to improved investigation capabilities in Manchester.

“Of the murders committed… Manchester is blessed to have some of the finest detectives in Jamaica. I say that against the background that 80 per cent of persons who committed murders in this parish had to account for those murders one way or the other. Somebody is always held accountable for murders committed in this parish,” he said.

Duncan also said shootings declined by 19, or 45 per cent, in 2025 when compared to 2024. However, he expressed concern over interpersonal conflicts.

“When we do an examination of the murders that we saw in Manchester, in a closer look we find that interpersonal issues accounted for most of the incidents of murders. What that is telling us is that there is a genuine need for the intervention of the church, civic groups, and the communities to intervene, so that persons can find more meaningful and amicable ways to settle their disputes other than to turn to violence,” said Duncan.

“Our road policing activities, our intelligence, our strategic operations saw us recovering some 52 per cent more firearms in the parish over the previous year. That could tell us two things; that we have more firearms on our roads or it means that your police are out there on the streets to interdict these firearms when they traverse our spaces,” added Duncan.

He said Manchester was no longer the “break-in capital of Jamaica”.

“That is because of our strategic priorities, in that we have put so many measures in place to mitigate these break-ins… We are seeing significant reduction around these figures,” he said.

During the church service, 18 police personnel and four stakeholders, namely Bell’s Funeral Home, Limecore Aggregate, accountant Kirk Ogilvie, and caterer Hermeta Campbell were awarded.

Among the attendees at the church were neighbourhood watch groups, the Scarlet Brown intergenerational club, the Manchester peace coalition, police youth clubs, the Manchester business community, political representatives.

Duncan, while referencing the service’s theme, ‘Rebuilding Together Strengthening the bond between the police and the community’, said he welcomes constructive criticism from the public.

“Strengthening the bond between the community and us, the police, is not just a social issue, it is a moral, spiritual, and biblical responsibility… Hold us accountable if you do not see what you want to see coming for us. We welcome your criticism because that is the one sure way for us to grow,” said Duncan.