Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake said the improved compliance with the road traffic laws alongside the increase in prosecutions have led to a decrease in road fatalities across Jamaica, when compared to 2023.

“Improving conformity to the road traffic laws and reducing speeding has resulted in a decrease of eight per cent in fatalities, there has been a 26 per cent increase in traffic ticket prosecutions; this is over 72,000 more prosecutions when compared to 2023,” Blake told the quarterly press briefing of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on Tuesday.

From January up to July 16, Jamaica recorded 210 road fatalities, which is 18 less than the 228 fatalities recorded in 2023 over the same period. In June, Jamaica recorded 26 road fatalities which is five less than what was recorded in May this year (31) and was the lowest number of road fatalities per month since the beginning of the year.

During his presentation at the briefing, Blake credited the improvement in public compliance efforts alongside the work of the Beat Officer Patrol Division (BOPD) for the role they played in the reduction of road fatalities.

“We must also commend citizens for responding to our extensive public education programmes in response to that trending rise in road fatalities experienced back in April…Our aim is to deter criminal activities through high visibility and reassurance while ensuring effective management for the smooth flow of vehicles and pedestrians alike. By fostering open lines of communication with residents we aim to address their concerns and gather invaluable insights that will guide our policing efforts,” Dr Blake explained.

He said the BOPD has expanded from Kingston and Montego Bay to include Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Mandeville, Santa Cruz, and May Pen and will be shortly implemented in other major centres. This division was established in March to bolster public safety and strengthen community policing efforts while providing proactive police presence in key areas across the island.

In the meantime, Blake added that the JCF’s quick response unit made 531 arrests, including 50 wanted persons, and the recovery of eight illegal firearms since the start of the year, while there has also been an improvement in the work done by the JCF’s Intellectual Property Unit.“Pre-COVID the JCF Intellectual Property Unity destroyed over $3 billion worth of counterfeit goods. Post-COVID between 2022 and 2024, JCF seized approximately $3.35 billion worth of counterfeit goods. Fourteen persons were brought before the court and convicted for breaches of the Trademark Act which resulted in over JM$10 million in fines imposed by the court,” said Dr Blake.

On the other hand, he used the opportunity to urge residents to comply with police officers in their efforts to reduce crime and violence in Jamaica.

“As we endeavour to safeguard our communities and restore peace to the lives of average Jamaicans, we find ourselves at a critical juncture in addressing the criminal elements within our midst, these individuals who are sons, brothers, babyfathers and friends are known to you the people, they reside in our communities and sometimes within our very homes. Today I want to address them directly with a clear and unequivocal message.

“We will disrupt your criminal activities and isolate you. We will come for you [and] when we do we, encourage you to lay down arms and surrender willingly, if you meet us with aggression, we will respond with superior force and we will win because we are smarter, we are better trained and better resourced. We will be relentless in pursuing, capturing, building air-tight cases for you conviction and of those who support and sympathise with you,” he said.

Dr Blake is encouraging residents to cooperate with the police, emphasising that providing information is a way for Jamaicans to support crime-fighting efforts across the island. He noted that since the start of the year there has been a 12 per cent reduction in major crimes in Jamaica, noting that more cooperation will play a part in the continuous downward trend of crime in Jamaica.