Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake - FILE PHOTO
Police Commissioner Dr. Kevin Blake says the Jamaica Constabulary Force is on track to build on historic crime-fighting gains, even as it works to rebuild trust after recent operational and ethical setbacks.
In his weekly column, published in the Jamaica Constabulary Force Orders, Commissioner Blake re-emphasised the JCF's target of fewer than 600 murders in 2026.
Dr. Blake's pronouncement follows a murder decline in 2025 when murders fell to 673; the first time the figure dropped below 700 in 31 years, according to Force statistics,
The Police Commissioner revealed that January closed with just 33 murders, the lowest monthly total since records began in 2001, and likely the lowest in more than three decades.
The JCF disclosed that this figure is 13 fewer than the numbers in April 2025, when 46 murders were recorded.
Dr. Blake said maintaining an average of under 50 murders per month keeps the force firmly on course but stressed that success depends on public confidence.
But he also acknowledged that recent unnamed incidents risk eroding trust, and stressed that integrity, transparency, and accountability are now critical.
Dr Blake urged members to "guard the JCF's reputation like a fortress," saying resilience must extend beyond fighting violent criminals to rebuilding trust with communities, partners, and stakeholders as the force pushes toward its sub-600 goal.
comments powered by Disqus
All feeds
