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| Commander Hopeton Nicholson |
Every day, our members enter the arena. They confront difficult circumstances, respond to incidents of violence, investigate serious crimes, engage communities, maintain public order, and, at times, place their own safety at risk in service to others.
Today, therefore, is not simply a day to celebrate statistics. It is an opportunity to recognize the courage, commitment, sacrifice, and professionalism of the men and women who have accepted the responsibility of policing this division.
Today, the St. Catherine North Police Division pauses to reflect on the achievements and experiences of the first eight months of 2026 while also looking ahead and charting the path that we intend to take for the remainder of the year
As we reflect, assess, and prepare, we recognize that it is both a privilege and a profound responsibility to be called upon to serve the people of the St. Catherine North Division.
During the first two-thirds of the year, the men and women of this division embarked on a mission to provide a professional, responsive, and effective level of policing to the citizens and visitors who live, work, conduct business and travel throughout this division.
The task has not been an easy one. We have faced numerous challenges in maintaining peace, preserving law and order, confronting criminal elements, and ensuring that law-abiding citizens are able to live their lives and conduct their businesses in a safe and peaceful environment.
Despite these challenges, we remained focused on our mandate. As a division, we have embarked on a number of strategic initiatives
Public Order Enforcement
We have intensified our management of activities within our town centers and along major thoroughfares. Our objective is to maintain order, facilitate the free movement of people and traffic, and ensure that our public spaces remain safe and accessible.
Controlling Hotspots
We have deliberately increased our presence and occupation of spaces that are prone to violence and criminal activity. Our approach is to prevent violence before it occurs while reassuring citizens that the police are present, visible, and ready to respond.
Anti-Gang Activities
We continue the relentless pursuit of individuals and groups involved in gang-related activities. Our objective is clear: to disrupt their operations, dismantle their networks, degrade their capabilities, and bring those responsible before the courts.
We will not surrender our communities to criminal gangs. Where criminal elements seek to establish themselves, we will challenge them. Where they seek to intimidate citizens, we will stand with those citizens. And where they seek to undermine the peace and security of our communities, we will pursue them relentlessly and within the full ambit of the law.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement
We recognize that effective policing can not be achieved by the police alone. We will, therefore, continue to build sustainable partnerships with our citizens, community leaders, business operators, and other stakeholders. Regular and meaningful engagement remains an essential component of our policing strategy.
Our community and stakeholder engagements have intensified during 2026. We have deliberately convened meetings with stakeholders according to their specific areas of interest and responsibility.
These engagements have allowed us to have meaningful dialogue, develop a greater understanding of the needs and concerns of our communities, and, importantly, communicate our own operational needs.
Through these conversations, we have been able to develop strategies that are sometimes specifically tailored to the circumstances and needs of particular communities and stakeholder groups.
Capacity Building and Welfare
We remain committed to equipping our members with the necessary skills, knowledge, and expertise to respond effectively to the needs of the citizens we serve. At the same time, we recognize that the welfare of our members is equally important. A police officer who is supported, equipped, and cared for is better positioned to provide the standard of service that our communities deserve.
Our ambitious efforts have not been without challenges. However, the men and women assigned to the St. Catherine North Police Division have consistently demonstrated commitment, resilience, and determination.
They have stood up to the task. Today, we can point to measurable results.
For the first eight months of 2026, the St. Catherine North Police Division recorded a 42 percent reduction in murders. This represents the lowest number of murders recorded in this division since its establishment thirty years ago.
That is a significant achievement. But even more significant is what that number represents. Behind every reduction in murder is a life potentially saved, a family spared unimaginable pain, a child who does not have to grow up without a parent, and a community given a greater opportunity to live, work and prosper in peace.
For the first time in over four years, the St Catherine North Police Division recorded zero murders in a calendar month. In the 29 months that I have served as Divisional Commander, August 2026 is the first calendar month without a murder.* *The St Catherine North Police Division has a 190% clear up rate for murders. It is not a smart idea to commit crimes in St Catherine North, you will be caught and you will be prosecuted.
I want to pause here and recognize what that means. Zero murders in August are not simply a number on a crime chart.It represents police officers who worked long hours. It represents intelligence officers who gathered and analyzed information. It represents investigators who pursued cases. It represents operational teams who occupy hotspots. It represents communities that cooperated with us. It represents citizens who chose peace over violence.
It is a collective achievement. We must continue to be proactive rather than reactive.We must continue to occupy the spaces where criminals seek to operate. We must continue to disrupt gangs and other organized criminal networks. We must continue to strengthen our investigations. We must continue to engage our communities. And we must continue to build the capacity and welfare of our members
But successful policing is about more than statistics. It is also about public confidence. It is about the confidence of a business owner to open his or her doors in the morning. It is about a parent knowing that their children can move through their community safely. It is about citizens being able to attend church, school, work, sporting events, and community activities without fear.
It is about creating an environment where law-abiding citizens understand that the police are there to protect them and that criminality will not be allowed to dominate their communities.
his is the policing model that we intend to strengthen. We will continue to be firm where firmness is required, professional in our approach, fair in our dealings, and compassionate towards those who need our assistance.
To the citizens of St. Catherine North, I say this: we need your continuous partnership.
The police can not be everywhere at all times. Your information, cooperation, and willingness to stand against criminality are critical to our success. And to the men and women of the St. Catherine North Police Division, I commend you.
The progress we have made is a collective achievement. Every patrol, every investigation, every intelligence report, every community meeting, every intervention, and every difficult decision has contributed to the results we are seeing today.
Remember the words of Theodore Roosevelt. The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena.”
To the men and women who serve the St Catherine North Police Division, you are the ones in the arena. You are the ones who answer the calls in the middle of the night.
You are the ones who confront dangerous situations. You are the ones who investigate the crimes. You are the ones who engage the communities. And you are the ones who, every day, have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.
Let us, therefore, continue to enter that arena with courage.
Let us enter it with integrity.
Let us enter it with professionalism. And let us enter it with the determination to make St. Catherine North is safer than we found it. And let us enter it with the determination to make St. Catherine North is safer than we found it.
The work is not finished.
The challenges remain.
But so does our resolve.
Together, we have demonstrated what can be achieved.
Together, we will build on those achievements. And together, we will continue to protect life, preserve public safety, disrupt criminal networks, uphold the law, and build stronger partnerships with the communities we serve.
Hopton Nicholson, MBA, BSc, psjcc
Senior Superintendent of Police
Commanding Officer
St Catherine North Police Division
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