Flankers seals peace deal with police
... as St James tames crime monster
Published:Friday | July 25, 2025 | 12:07 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
If current trends hold, the St James Police Division could see 2025 as its best year in crime-fighting in two decades.
At present, the parish is seeing at least a 50 per cent reduction in murders, shootings, and rape, which have perennially been the areas of greatest concern and the trigger behind several states of emergencies (SOEs) and zones of special operations (ZOSOs) at different times.
St James, which has registered over 100 murders every year since 2005, has recorded 32 murders since the start of the year, according to the latest Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) serious crimes report, which spans January 1 to July 19.
This figure is better than any six-month period over the comparable time frame in two decades. Last year, between January and July 19, the parish’s murder tally stood at 79.
“What I am happy about is not just the crime stats, but more so the fact that the members (police) are able to come together so that we could set some targets as a team and achieve them,” said Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, the police commander for St James. “It made us recognise that this will be a long-lasting reduction and that we are going to really do well going forward as a division.”
In addition to the dramatic reduction in murders, the figure for shootings in the parish has also plunged from 75 cases of shootings this time last year to 28 in 2025.
Rape, which has emerged as a troublesome issue over recent years, has also seen a 50 per cent reduction, dropping from last year’s 22 to 12 over the comparative period.
Law and order
Interestingly, during his recent performance at Reggae Sumfest 2025, dancehall star Tommy Lee Sparta singled out Samuels for praise as he expressed pleasure in seeing St James, especially Flankers, his home community, at peace.
“We believe members of the general public really understand what we are up to, and we really want them to know that we are not restricting anybody from doing positive legal business within the division,” said Samuels. “However, law and order must be maintained.
“In a community like Flankers, where Tommy Lee is from, we have allowed them to start back enterprise in terms of events within the space, with some strict rules, and they have been complying with those rules. There has not been a murder in Flankers for the longest while,” continued Samuels. “We are working with the citizens to ensure that even though we are policing them, that they are able to go about freely, they are not under any restrictions. However, we are keeping a close eye on the space to ensure the gangs stay at bay while helping the people to police themselves by ensuring that no shots are fired.”
According to Samuels, there is an agreement that “if any shots are fired, we will put back the restrictions … .
“It is a straight-up deal. If they behave themselves in Flankers by not firing any shots, by not having any murders, and they continue to support the peace, they can be assured of our support,” said Samuels.
Like St James, the other three parishes in the JCF’s Area One – Westmoreland, Hanover, and Trelawny – are also seeing massive reductions in crime, which collectively made the region the most peaceful it has been in many years.
Westmoreland, which had 100 murders last year, primarily due to the bloody feud between the Green Hill-based King Valley and Ants Posse gangs, has seen a drop in murders from 60 this time last year to 24. Shootings have declined from 61 to 31, and rape is down from 23 to six.
In Hanover, nine murders occurred this year – a major drop from the 32 over the corresponding period last year. Shootings have dropped from 35 to 14 and rape from 13 to seven.
Trelawny, which had the best crime statistics in the region last year, is enjoying an even better year. Murders over the comparative period have dropped from 13 to seven, shootings from eight to six, and rape from 12 to eight.