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| SSP Hopeton Nicholson |
Good morning to my distinguished colleagues, senior officers, members of the St Catherine North Police Division, our partners, stakeholders, and friends.
Today, I want us to pause, not to become complacent, but to recognize just how far the St Catherine North Police Division has come and, more importantly, to remind ourselves of the responsibility that comes with that progress.
The St Catherine North Police Division is the largest police division in Jamaica, comprising 14 police stations, serving thousands of citizens, businesses, communities, and visitors across the division.
Our responsibility is therefore enormous. But so too is our opportunity to make a difference. The figures tell a compelling story. In 2016, the division recorded 146 murders. In 2017, there were 135. In 2018, the number fell to 98, and in 2019 to 92.
There was an increase in 2020 to 128, followed by 99 in 2021. In 2022, the division again recorded 146 murders. Since then, however, we have seen a sustained downward trajectory. The figure fell to 120 in 2023, then 94 in 2024, and 65 in 2025.
As of September 30 2026, the division has recorded 24 reported murders. That is a remarkable movement from where we were a decade ago. But let us be clear about something: these are not merely statistics.
Behind every number is a human being. Behind every murder is a family that has lost a loved one, children who may have lost a parent, communities that have experienced trauma, and lives that have been permanently changed.
Therefore, every murder prevented is not simply a statistical achievement; it is a life preserved. Every family protected from the pain of losing a loved one is a victory for policing.
Every community in which citizens can sleep more peacefully, conduct their businesses without fear, send their children to school, and move about without intimidation is a reflection of the work that you do. So today, I commend the men and women of the St Catherine North Police Division who have contributed to this progress.
I commend our investigators, our operational officers, our intelligence teams, our detectives, our station personnel, our community policing teams, our administrative staff, and every officer who has played a role.
I also acknowledge the contribution of our partners and stakeholders. No police division can reduce serious crime through the efforts of police officers alone. It requires intelligence. It requires community cooperation. It requires effective investigations. It requires decisive operations. It requires partnerships.
Above all, it requires officers who are prepared to remain committed even when the work is difficult. But colleagues, our success must never become our comfort zone. The lower the numbers become, the harder the remaining murders may be to prevent.
The criminals will adapt. The circumstances will change. Our communities will change. Therefore, our policing must also evolve. Do not become satisfied with the reduction. Become determined to sustain it.
Let us continue to be intelligence-led. Let us identify the individuals, groups, and circumstances that drive violence before they escalate. Let us continue to build strong relationships with the communities we serve because information from the community can be the difference between a murder being investigated and a murder being prevented. Let us continue to pursue wanted persons and persons of interest lawfully and professionally. Let us strengthen our investigations and ensure that those responsible for violent crimes face the justice system. Let us continue to protect witnesses, support victims, and treat citizens with dignity. And let us remember that professionalism is not something we demonstrate only when someone is watching. It is who we are when nobody is watching.To the officers who are leading these reduction efforts, I say to you: You have demonstrated that change is possible. Now demonstrate that sustainability is possible.
We are thankful that the division recorded only 5 murders for the third quarter, which is the lowest quarterly report in over thirty years. I encourage you not to measure success only by what happened yesterday. Measure it by the lives we prevent from being lost tomorrow.
Do not allow 24 murders as of September 30th to become simply another number on a report. We must remain hungry for improvement, disciplined in our execution, courageous in our decision-making, and compassionate in our engagement with the people we serve. Because when citizens begin to feel safer, they place greater expectations on us to protect that safety. When businesses begin to operate with greater confidence, they expect us to preserve the environment in which they can prosper.
When parents feel more comfortable sending their children into their communities, they expect us to ensure that those communities remain safe. Therefore, colleagues, let us protect the gains we have made, but let us not be imprisoned by them.
Let us set our sights higher. Let us strive for fewer victims. Let us strive for safer communities. Let us strive for stronger partnerships. Let us strive for better investigations. Let us strive for more professional policing. Let us strive for a St. Catherine North where the ordinary citizen does not have to live in fear. Police officers, community leaders, our stakeholders, and the citizens of St Catherine North have all played a part. Now, we must go further together. To the men and women of this great division, I implore you to not chase recognition. Chase results.
Do not become complacent because the numbers are falling. Become even more committed because every number represents a life that matters. Let us finish 2026 with the same determination with which we began it. Let us continue to deny criminals the opportunity to take innocent lives. Let us continue to serve with courage, integrity, and professionalism. And let us ensure that when history looks back at the St Catherine North Police Division, it will not simply record that the numbers declined.
It will record that police officers stood up, communities stood with them, and together, they changed the trajectory of violence and gave people hope. The gains are ours to protect. The responsibility is ours to carry. And the future is ours to secure.
Thank you, and may God continue to bless the men and women of the St Catherine North Police Division and the people we are privileged to serve.
Video presentation made in 2025
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| SSP Nicholson presented scholarships to students at Spanish Town Primary. |
Hopton Nicholson, MBA, BSc, psjcc
Senior Superintendent of Police, Commanding Officer St Catherine North Police Division
Editors Note
Jamaica is breathing a sigh of relief at how the police have worked with the citizens of St. Catherine North Police Division to reduce the level of crime in that former hotbed.
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