MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Police in Area Three are predicting that fewer than 94 murders will be recorded across the divisions by year-end, following the launch of Operation Reset last month.

Statistics from the police show that up to July 11, the three divisions combined —Manchester, Clarendon and St Elizabeth — recorded 58 murders compared to 43 for the corresponding period last year.

Acting head of the police’s Area Three Senior Superintendent Shane McCalla told the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s High Command on Wednesday that Operation Reset is aimed at cracking down on criminal activity while simultaneously reducing the likelihood of violent crimes.

“We are trending upwards in murder and aggravated assaults, so Operation Reset was primarily designed to address this… and in terms of the acquisitive crimes we are trending down by 104. This is our commitment to the High Command that Area Three will deliver in December,” McCalla told Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake and Deputy Commissioner Warren Clarke at the Mandeville Police Station.

McCalla gave a breakdown of murder statistics in Area Three. He said in 2023 there were 189 murders; in 2024 there were 150 murders; while 94 murders were recorded last year.

Cops have been active on patrol in Mandeville as part of Operation Reset. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

“Year to date we have 58 [murders]. Despite seeing some issues where St Elizabeth is concerned, I am convinced and I am committing to you that we will end under the 94 [in December],” he vowed.

Statistics from the police show that up to July 11, St Elizabeth recorded 18 murders compared to seven murders for the corresponding period last year. For Manchester, 18 murders have been recorded so far, compared to 15 for the similar period last year. Over in Clarendon, the division has recorded 22 murders year-to-date compared to 21 last year this time.

Police said the majority of murders stem from interpersonal and domestic disputes.

Operation Reset was strategised by head of Area Three Assistant Commissioner Christopher Phillips, in collaboration with head of the St Elizabeth police Superintendent Coleridge Minto; McCalla in his role as head of the Clarendon police; former operations officer for Manchester Luhas Daniels, as well as other senior officers.

According to McCalla, Operation Reset “is geared towards targeting our high-risk threats and the violence producers across all three divisions. The end date for this is the end of September and once we finish at the end of September we will be doing our assessment and what needs to be tweaked will be tweaked and then we will be launching Operation Reclaim”.

MCCALLA… we are trending upwards in murder and aggravated assaults, so Operation Reset was primarily designed to address this (Photo: Kasey Williams)

Last weekend police seized four firearms — one in Manchester, two in St Elizabeth and one in Clarendon as part of Operation Reset.

“These four firearms were seized over a 24-hour period and it came out of very good intelligence and investigative work and operational assets and the execution of the support teams,” said McCalla.

Police in Manchester also charged eight people with breaches of the Law Reform (Fraudulent Conversion Special Provisions) Act, and one person was charged under the Dangerous Drugs Act following the execution of Operation Reset in Mandeville and Porus last Friday.

Over in St Elizabeth, a man was fatally shot by police during an alleged confrontation and break-in at a minimart in Ballard’s Valley near Junction last Saturday morning. Police in St Elizabeth also arrested two robbery suspects in separate incidents as part of Operation Reset.