Jamaica Police Commissioner To Step Down

KINGSTON, Jamaica, December 22, 2016 (CMC) – Commissioner of Police, Dr. Carl Williams, will be leaving office next month.

The Jamaica Gleaner reports that it has obtained a copy of a letter Williams wrote to the Police Service Commission, in which he indicated that he will proceed on early retirement on January 6.

The Gleaner says Williams indicated that his decision to step down is based on personal reasons.

“Having enlisted in the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) in February 1984, it has been my honour to have given more than three decades of tireless service to my country,” Williams said.

The Commissioner is preparing to leave the JCF as the country grapples with a high crime rate.

Police figures for the period January 1 to September 21 this year, show that 894 murders had been committed, averaging at least 100 murders a month.

In an interview on RJR’s Hotline call-in program on December 17, Williams said domestic murders were causing a great worry within the force, and that the increase in murders comes amidst a reduction in the number of all other serious crimes.

He said there were escalating problems in gang-controlled areas and crime hotspots, such as Kingston Western, Spanish Town, Montego Bay and Westmoreland, as another factor contributing to the increase in the number of murders.

“Generally, the problems that we’re facing across Jamaica with gangs have resulted in a number of killings that have contributed to the 100-plus (increase in murders),” he said, adding that he does not intend to quit his post after two-and-a-half years.

“I have some months, perhaps a year, or even more… We’ve been having discussions from very early in my tenure about succession planning…but at an appropriate time I will speak to the public about exactly where we’re going,” he said then.

Williams was appointed Commissioner in September 2014.