JCF strategic operations chief outlines intelligence-led policing behind sharp murder decline

Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr. Gary McKenzie, who leads the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Strategic Operations Portfolio, says the unit’s mandate is to help deliver a safer Jamaica by coordinating prevention, protection, and enforcement across the country.

In a recent Force4Good discussion, McKenzie described Strategic Operations as the largest of the force’s five portfolios. Its work spans routine patrols, marine and resort-area security, major public events, and high-intensity responses such as SWAT deployments. He said operations are intelligence-led, with emphasis on prevention before reactive enforcement.

McKenzie linked the portfolio to Jamaica’s falling murder toll. He cited more than 1,300 killings in 2023, a reduction to 1,141, and 673 murders in 2025 as the force moved toward a sub-1,000 target. He credited scientific analysis, prioritisation of high-risk offenders, and coordination with the Crime and Security Portfolio’s focused-deterrence approach. High-command direction, improved training, and technology—including expanded beat officer patrols, quick-response units, rebranded highway patrols, and enhanced specialised operations—supported last year’s results, he said.

McKenzie said the force must sustain momentum through data review, public cooperation, and varied operational tempo. Zone commanders within divisions, Area Fugitive Apprehension Teams, and targeted “spear-fishing” rather than broad sweeps were among tools he highlighted. Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO), launched on 1 September 2017 and now covering several western and eastern communities including August Town, Denham Town, and Parade Gardens in Kingston, remain effective under a clear-hold-build model, he added.

On community engagement, McKenzie pointed to proximity policing, weekend community interfaces, and container posts in Greenvale, Gregory Park, and Walton. School resource officers work with schools and communities to reduce conflict. Beat Officer Patrol Division presence, body-worn cameras in public spaces, and cooperation with municipalities on congested town centres were also cited as part of public-order management.

McKenzie stressed that traffic stops are not random. Officers may lawfully request documents when enforcing road rules or acting on intelligence. “Persons ought to know that they are not the owners of driver’s licence. They are the holders of driver’s licence,” he said, urging motorists to cooperate at the roadside and contest disputes in traffic court.