MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Confronted by a sharp increase in murders, the police in this parish on Tuesday opened their renovated conference room which, they said, will serve as the nerve centre of their increased effort to staunch criminal activity.

Declaring that Manchester is not a safe haven for criminals, head of the police Area Three, Assistant Commissioner Christopher Phillips said the renovated facility at Mandeville Police Station will become a “war room… because we are going to wage war against those who continue to destroy Manchester”.

“We are seeing signs of that where some people believe that Manchester is a safe place for criminality. It will not be. We are not going to allow it. We can’t have it. We are going to push back and we are going to fight hard. This will be your classroom, your boardroom. Here you will brief teams before major operations,” Phillips told business leaders and senior cops at the official opening of the facility renovated at a cost of $7 million through a public-private partnership.

“Here you will train young constables. Here you will sit with your citizens. Some of your very stakeholders, you will call back into this room — your pastors, your business agencies — to solve Manchester’s problems together,” he added.

Statistics from the police show that between January 1 and May 2, 2026, Manchester recorded 14 murders compared to five for the similar period last year. Police in recent weeks have pointed to interpersonal conflicts and domestic violence as the main factors for most of those murders.

The renovation project was sponsored by 13 organisations — C&D Construction, Power Services Company Ltd, Matthews and Clarke Roofing, Samfo Meats, Hylton and Sons, Superlatives Auto, Vicbern Roofing, the Youth Ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Denron, Pavecon Ltd, Rymac Rentals, J Crawford and Sons Limited, and Grant’s Welding.

The scope of work included retiling; installing partitions, doors, air conditioning units; electrical work, windows, repainting, plumbing, and cupboard installation. The business owners also donated 50 chairs and tables, a laptop, a smart television and portable stand, a glass podium, a microwave, water dispenser, and a coffee station.

The business leaders also executed a major clean-up exercise on the station compound to remove debris.

Phillips lauded the leadership of the Manchester police in bringing on board the business community, and said the aesthetics of the facility will improve results.

“When morale is high and the space is professional, then performance flows… I charge Manchester division… to take ownership of your space. Continue to create a culture where every officer asks ‘How can I leave this space better than I found it?’ And start small — so a coat of paint, proper signage, working AC units, even a garden that shows pride — then you go bigger, find partners, write proposals, and engage your communities,” said Phillips.

“The public judges us not only by how we enforce the law but by how we steward what they have entrusted to us — so a clean, functional, modern station will tell Manchester, the citizens out there, that ‘We respect you and we respect ourselves.’ You are the guardians of this parish. You run towards danger when others run away. You deserve a headquarters to match your courage. May every briefing in this room produce safer streets, may every strategy session here save a life, and may every meeting here build more trust between the police and the citizens,” added Phillips.

Head of the Manchester police, Superintendent Carey Duncan (right) cuts the ribbon to officially open the renovated conference room at the Mandeville Police Station on Tuesday. Applauding are (from left) C&D Construction and Engineering Ltd Managing Director Clive Wint; managing director at Power Services Company Ltd Simone Scarlett; and operator of Samfo Meats Paul Lyn. At second right is head of the Area Three police, Assistant Commissioner Christopher Phillips. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

Police and business leaders gather inside the renovated Mandeville Police Station conference room on Tuesday.