St Catherine south’s murder toll among highest in country

The revelation was made by DSP Neville Knight, who is in charge of the community safety and security branch at the St Catherine South Police Division.

He was speaking Tuesday at a St Catherine Municipal Corporation town hall meeting at the Old Harbour High School auditorium.

His comments jolted the audience into deafening silence mere hours after eight people were brutally slain in a gang war in Westmoreland, while 20 high-powered guns along with hundreds of ammunition were seized by the police at a port of entry in Kingston.

“St Catherine South Division up to yesterday evening (Monday) has the most murders in Jamaica. We have the most shootings,” the senior cop said in his address without giving any numbers.

However, police data gleaned by Old Harbour News shows as at March 2 Westmoreland leading all divisions with 25 murders, one more than St Catherine South and St Andrew South, while Clarendon is closely behind with 22 homicides.

Of the 25 murders recorded in the St Catherine South Division, six were committed in the Old Harbour space up the the time of publishing this article.

“Something has gone wrong in our country. The access to guns by criminals is like eating a sweet in Jamaica,” he said.

He argued that the manifestation of high crime in the country is caused by a culture of selfishness and rowdy behaviour.

“We continue to see indiscipline left, right and centre,” said DSP Knight whose portfolio covers the police sub-division of Old Harbour. “People in Jamaica need to understand that police don’t make law, we enforce the law. And if people conduct themselves properly there will be no need for the police to arrest them.”

The senior law enforcer argued further that citizens must begin to see themselves as part of the solution to help fight crime, during a presentation that lasted just over five minutes.

He however, singled out bus and taxi drivers as amongst the most indiscipline groups of people in the country.

“They park anywhere, they stop anywhere, they have no respect for anyone. And if you listen to the type of music they are playing… it is most disgraceful,” he lamented.

“We must change and do the things that God Almighty placed us on this Earth to do. We must have respect for our women, we must abide by the law of Jamaica. We cannot get up every day and everywhere you want police because of indiscipline. We don’t have that luxury.

“I just want people to understand that this is your country and you must set the place so that your children can have a future. It makes no sense that we get up every day and cuss (curse) the police.

“Police are product of all of you sitting here. So whenever the police fail it means therefore we would have failed as a nation.”

He ended by telling residents that officers under his watch are must act professionally in executing their duty to serve, protect and reassure.

Said DSP Knight: “I always tell my police officers that anyone of you go out there and treat the people with disrespect you no longer stay in my station.

“You must have respect, even when sometimes they (citizens) go overboard, you are trained and therefore the onus is on you to conduct yourself with proper deportment.

“Take care of citizens out there. Guide them, because you are trained. They (citizens) are not trained.

“Not that I’m saying you must let them do as they like, but you must conduct yourself and by your behavior they will change too because they will see the light and they will come to the light.”