Hanover pushing to reclaim ‘safest parish’ title
Published:Monday | February 17, 2025 | 10:15 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
The Hanover Police Division, which once had the enviable distinction of being the most peaceful division on the island, is now looking to regain its former glory. With murders showing a 33.3 per cent reduction last year in comparison to 2023, there is much optimism for 2025.
According to Superintendent Andrew Nish, the police commander for Hanover, with murders in Hanover last year 38 fewer that in 2023, confidence is high that, overall, 2025 will place Hanover firmly back on track to becoming a safe and peaceful parish for its residents.
“Based on our engagement with the communities and our stakeholders, and the commitment and service from the members of the Hanover Police Division, we tackled the latter part of 2024, and so we managed to reduce murders to 48 in numbers, a 33.3 per cent reduction, by the end of the year,” said Nish, while delivery his report at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation.
“This downward trajectory has continued into this year. We are now at February 13, and [currently] for the entire parish, only two murders have been recorded,” said Nish, who pointed out that both occurred in January. “In addition to the two murders, only one other serious incident, a shooting incident, which occurred in February, has been reported in the parish.”
Green Island, which has emerged as a criminal hotspot in Hanover over recent years, is the area in which the two murders occurred, while the shooting incident took place in the Lucea policing area.
“We understand the dynamics of Green Island, the terrain, the people who live there, and all that comes with it, and so we will be doing the necessary [measure] to ensure that, as best as possible, and with your help, community engagement, all will be done to make Hanover a safer place for all,” said Nish.
In terms of crimes in general, up to February 13, 2024, some 23 major crimes occurred in Hanover. Over the comparative period this year, only 11 crimes of a similar nature have been reported to the police.
“Save and except for Green Island with the two murders, you will realise that the incidents are not concentrated in any particular space, and so, as it is spread across the entire parish, it is a little difficult to manage it. But we will ensure, as best as possible, to keep the place as safe as possible,” said Nish, who also complimented the residents of Kingvale, which is steadily emerging as the best policing area in the parish.
Nish is hoping that the various communities in the parish will be pushing to see which of them will emerge as the best policing district at the end of the year, hinting that something special could be in the offering for that community.