MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Police here say domestic violence and disputes among gangsters are behind the 100 per cent increase in murders in the parish so far this year when compared to the same period last year.

Statistics from the police show that up to April 4, Manchester recorded 10 murders since the start of the year when compared to five for the corresponding period last year.

In addressing Thursday’s sitting of the Manchester Municipal Corporation, head of the Manchester police Superintendent Carey Duncan said the spike in murders forms part of an increase of nine per cent in major crimes in the parish.

In responding to concerns raised by Councillor Mario Mitchell (People’s National Party, Bellefield Division) regarding Manchester’s murder statistics being alarming compared to the St Andrew North Police Division, Duncan said citizens must find ways to resolve disputes peacefully.

“St Andrew North is doing extremely well as — commendations to the team [there] — not a single murder [has taken place] since the start of the year. But ask yourselves the question: Are the citizens in St Andrew North smarter or better than us or they are just better behaved?” said Duncan.

“We have to find ways to deal with our issues in our own parish to ensure that we get to a St Andrew North status,” added Duncan.

He said an uptick in murders is concerning for Manchester as the parish was previously known for being peaceful.

“We know Manchester is not one of the parishes that we [are] used to seeing [consecutive] murders so yes, when we have one or two [murders] it is going to seem extreme, it is going to seem loud, people are going to be looking on,” he said while encouraging councillors to engage their constituents.

In reference to the April 3 murder of 29-year-old Tanzanya Dunkley in a domestic dispute in Three Chains, and Wednesday’s chopping death of Otis Moore in Cobbla district, Duncan called on residents of Manchester to better resolve disputes.

“There is certainly a need to have intervention done. So, down in Three Chains we saw what happened last week where a [woman] was killed, allegedly by her spouse, and he is in custody. He has been charged with the murder,” said Duncan.

Jamaica Defence Force member Damanice Tyrone Williamson is before the courts after he was charged with the murder of Dunkley, his girlfriend.

In relation to the Cobbla incident three people were arrested following the chopping death of Moore, reportedly over money owed for a car rental.

“It doesn’t have to reach injury or death. This is, in our term, ‘monkey money’ that was owed and now people are nursing chop wounds and one person is in the morgue from that. We are encouraging persons to find amicable means to resolve their disputes,” said Duncan.

He told the municipal corporation meeting that the police have also intensified operations and patrols in the Land Settlement area where four-year-old Saniyah O’Brien was shot dead and two men killed in what is believed to be a reprisal attack.

“We have a special team that is designated over in that space. I refer to it as proximity policing where persons within that space can reach out to the police and within two minutes of anything happening in that space, and we are seeing where it is in fact working,” said Duncan.

He added that the police have so far seized eight firearms and more than 200 rounds of ammunition in Manchester this year.

“That is up from last year at this time where we [seized] five illegal firearms,” he said.

The superintendent said following the fatal shooting of Manchester’s most wanted man, Black River lock-up escapee Oral Cole on April 2, the curfew in Comfort Hall in north-west Manchester where he wreaked havoc has been lifted.

“We tracked him over into Trelawny where we had an encounter with him in some dense shrubbery, a fierce firefight — as a matter of fact, I think he lived up to what he said he would do. He did say that when he is confronted he won’t be going down easily and his intention was to take as many police officers as he can with him.

“Fortunately, based on our superior firepower and training, we were able to manoeuvre ourselves in that space and he came out at the worst end of the firefight,” Duncan said while pointing out that a policeman was saved by his bulletproof vest during the shoot-out.

On June 19, 2023 Cole was among eight inmates who escaped from the Black River police lock-up. At that time, he was before the St Elizabeth Circuit Court facing charges of robbery with aggravation.

“Since he escaped lock-up he has been creating havoc in St Elizabeth, Manchester and Trelawny. In Manchester he featured in at least two murders, several shootings, and rapes within our space, so he was someone of particular interest to us,” said Duncan.

“As a matter of a fact, it got so bad in the space where he is from that we had to impose a curfew in Comfort Hall. I can say to the people in Comfort Hall [that] with this man out of the picture, certainly we have looked at the curfew in that space and we have decided to lift the curfew over there, so they can go ahead and enjoy themselves,” added Duncan.

DUNCAN… we have to find ways to deal with our issues in our own parish to ensure that we get to a St Andrew North status (Kasey Williams)