Police pledge full security support for St Elizabeth New Year’s Eve fireworks

Superintendent Coleridge Minto, head of the St Elizabeth Police Division, has assured residents and visitors that the parish is safe and ready to host major public events, as he threw his full support behind the first-ever New Year’s Eve fireworks display to be staged in the parish.

Speaking at the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Monday evening in Black River, Minto said the police will provide comprehensive security for the December 31 fireworks event, which is being hosted by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC).

“I look forward to the fireworks right in this vicinity on December 31, under the auspices of the UDC, and we are going to be giving full support in terms of the security arrangements,” Minto told residents gathered around the Christmas tree erected at the Jeremy Palmer/Everton Fisher Municipal Building.

“I know that thousands of persons from this parish will come to this location for the very first time to witness and to benefit from the fireworks.”

He described the staging of the event as a positive signal for the parish, noting that St Elizabeth continues to make strides in safety and community development.

“There are some good things that are happening in St Elizabeth, and I want Jamaica to know that St Elizabeth is the parish of choice,” Minto declared.

“We are welcoming our visitors; we are welcoming persons to come in; it is a very safe parish.”

The upcoming fireworks display marks a historic moment for St Elizabeth, which has never before hosted a major, centrally organised New Year’s Eve fireworks event.

Traditionally, such spectacles have been concentrated in urban centres like Kingston and Montego Bay, making the Black River event a significant boost for parish pride, local commerce, and tourism.

Municipal officials have welcomed the UDC-led initiative as part of a wider effort to revitalise Black River’s waterfront and reposition the parish capital as a hub for cultural and family-friendly events.

With heightened police visibility, coordinated security planning, and growing community buy-in, Minto said residents can expect a safe and enjoyable end-of-year celebration.

“We are ready,” he added.

“St Elizabeth is open, and St Elizabeth is safe.”

- Albert Ferguson

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