St Mary continues to strengthen its reputation as one of Jamaica's safest parishes, recording a 61 per cent reduction in murders while ranking among the country's top divisions for clearing major crimes.

The update was provided by Deputy Superintendent and Operations Officer for the St Mary Police Division, Ricardo Beckford, during the St Mary Municipal Corporation's Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee meeting in Port Maria on July 21.

"We have been enjoying a 61 per cent reduction in murders," Beckford said, noting that the parish had gone 108 days without a murder before an incident in Highgate on July 9.