St James police seize 51 illegal firearms in 2026 amid rising murders
St James police have recovered 51 illegal guns and 2,295 rounds of ammunition so far in 2026. Murder figures, however, remain higher than last year.
St James gun seizures climb to 51 firearms as police intensify gang operations
St James police have recovered 51 illegal firearms and 2,295 rounds of ammunition since the start of 2026, driven by a sharp increase in targeted operations against gang members and wanted individuals, the Jamaica Observer reports.
Operations Officer for the St James Police Division, Deputy Superintendent Rodrick Reid, attributed the results directly to heightened activity on the ground.
"What we can attribute this to is the increase in operational activities. We have increased our operational tempo targeting persons aligned to gangs, wanted persons and persons who are of interest to us for various crimes, serious and violent crimes at that," Reid told the Jamaica Observer.
Between July 1 and mid-September, 22 firearms and 2,024 rounds of ammunition were recovered. Those figures include a mini AR-15 seized on Monday, two rifles and a pistol recovered the previous week, and two pistols the week before that. When combined with the January–June total, the division's 2026 tally stands at 51 guns and 2,295 rounds.
Monday's seizure — a .223 Wylde mini rifle with a magazine holding 13 rounds — was made in the Gut Hill community of Granville. Two individuals were taken into custody.
Reid said officers carry out four to five targeted operations every day, alongside expanded stop-and-search exercises, vehicular checkpoints, and coordinated roadblocks.
"All of these strategies have been working for us to remove these illegal weapons from the communities and also the streets daily in St James," he said.
St James has long carried the unwelcome distinction of being Jamaica's most violent parish. Reid acknowledged that significant inroads have been made against organised criminal elements, with police occupying spaces previously dominated by gangs and consistently pursuing individuals known to be in possession of illegal weapons.
"Those that border on gang activity, we have significantly reduced those; occupying the spaces, going at the bad guys. That has been working for us," he remarked.
Despite the progress on gun seizures, murder figures remain a concern. Up to September 5 — the most recent data available from the Jamaica Constabulary Force — 45 murders had been recorded in St James, three more than during the comparable period in 2025.
Reid noted that the nature of the killings complicates policing efforts.
"The murders that we are experiencing are those of an interpersonal nature: the family setting, brother and brother, husband and wife, baby mother and baby father, those disputes' end results give us murders. [That] is really affecting us now," he said.
He acknowledged the limits of law enforcement intervention in domestic situations. "We cannot police everywhere, especially those scenarios that would warrant the police to be inside a person's house to ensure that the conflicts don't become deadly," Reid added.
Officers say they remain focused on dismantling gang networks and stripping criminal elements of their weapons, with daily operations continuing across the parish.
"We continue to target the persons who we know have [illegal guns]; we go at them continuously. The gangs, the gang members, those that are associated with the gangs, and spaces [where] we know that they try to hide the firearms; we go at those," Reid assured.
Source: Jamaica Observer