Richard Troupe, the director of safety and security in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, says a sustained police presence in Jamaica’s schools is one way of getting young people to become law-abiding citizens and, in so doing, keep the nation’s crime rate low.

Speaking at last Friday’s official launch of the Spot Valley High School Police Youth Club in St James, Troupe urged Jamaicans to do their part in maintaining the country’s currently low crime rate, which saw 673 murders recorded in 2025, compared to 1,147 in 2024 and 1,406 in 2023.

“Last year, we celebrated a significant reduction in major crime, including murder. If it was not for our law-enforcement officers, we would not be celebrating this success. To all Jamaicans the big challenge is, do we have the capacity to sustain the reduction, and for the reduction to go even lower every single year?” asked Troupe.