It might take more than a reduction in the number of murders to raise the feeling of safety among residents of St Mary.

Nonetheless, the figures are in - murders in St Mary have decreased drastically, from 19 last year to six up to end of September this year.

Additionally, since the start of the year the St Mary police have recovered 16 firearms and 203 rounds of ammunition.

The six murders represent less than half a percentage point (0.49 per cent) of the overall murder figure of 1,211 since the start of 2009.

"The results are excellent although I wish there were no murders," said Superintendent Dudley Scott, who returned for a second stint in charge of St Mary in May this year.

But some residents, while being cognisant of the drop in the murder figure, are not feeling any safer. Last year there was one murder in the Gayle area of the parish. This year there has been none so far.

But for Taneisha Capleton, a resident of that community, it means little.

concerned about crime

"I do not feel safer. I'm still very much concerned about the crime rate," said Capleton.

Another resident, who asked not to be identified, said he was living in Port Maria up to last year before relocating to Huddersfield. At Huddersfield, he said, he felt relatively safe as the community was "pretty calm and cool".

"Furthermore, all the murders this year have taken place in Annotto Bay and Enfield areas," he revealed.

But the improved results didn't come easily. They were an upshot of the hard work of all stakeholders involved in the well-being of St Mary and triggered by increased collaboration between the police and citizens of the parish.

"It's really a result of teamwork," said Superintendent Scott.

At the same time, he commended the citizens of the parish for the "tremendous support" they give to the police.

But who are the stakeholders involved?

The parish's Neighbourhood Watch was voted number one in the island for 2008, which Scott says speaks to the level of community support being given to the police.

There are 66 registered Neighbourhood Watch programmes in St Mary with 28 of them being active. The police are in the process of activating non-functioning ones.

But what may be considered even more vital to the reduction in murders this year could be the involvement of the youth in the overall process. There are approximately 1,900 youngsters with membership in 41 active police youth clubs in St Mary.

monitoring programme

Through the clubs, the youths, aged from early teens to mid-20s, are able to focus their energies in a positive direction, using sports and other social activities.

The police have also searched schools, following concerns raised by the institutions.

A school-monitoring programme is also well advanced.

Another aspect of policing that has yielded results is conflict resolution.

"We love to talk to people, we are helping people manage their domestic disputes and we will continue to be present in the community," said Scott.

- Carl Gilchrist