Head of Operations in the Kingston Central Division, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Randy Grant, is reporting a 58 per cent reduction in murders to date, in the division.

DSP Grant provided the update during a conversation with Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon Andrew Holness, who visited the area recently.

“Through strategic planning, skilful implementation, strategic partnerships with our various stakeholders and of course the implementation of the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO), which is doing quite well, we have managed to reduce murders by 58 per cent …thus far in 2026,” he stated.

DSP Grant also disclosed that the police are solving past murders and bringing justice to families who have lost loved ones.

“Our clear up rate this year for murders is 240 per cent. We are clearing past murders in 2025 and beyond, so while we have less murders in 2026, we’ve used the time to clear past murders, so we are bringing justice to the families who have suffered through those crimes in the past,” he noted.

“Whilst we’re doing that, we’re also seeking to strengthen the relationship with our stakeholders. Like other divisions, we are seeing the rise of interpersonal conflict, so we’re trying to… play our part, as the police, to teach some soft skills to the younger persons,” he added.

DSP Grant noted that the police are ensuring that they encourage the youth to go on a different path “from an early stage. We’re teaching some conflict resolution, exposing them to different things, different soft skills from an early age.”

“Overall, the Kingston Central Division is doing quite well, and we continue to push ahead. We have also put things in place for the back-to-school activities in our town centre, as we expect increased commercial activity in that space. So, we’ve increased our presence in the space to ensure that persons can shop in a safe environment,” he added.

ZOSOs are established under the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act.

The legislation, which was passed in 2017, is aimed at curbing crime through security-force occupation of vulnerable communities.

It also aims to preserve human rights during the period of occupation.