St. Elizabeth recorded a smooth and incident-free start to the 2026/2027 academic year on Monday, September 7, says Head of the St. Elizabeth Police Division, Superintendent Coleridge Minto.
Supt. Minto said there was heavy police deployment across the parish to ensure a safe return to school for thousands of students.
“So far, we have had no reports of incidents across the parish. Police officers have been deployed since 6:00 a.m. this morning across all four zones,” Supt. Minto told JIS News.
He stated that the police will continue to provide support to schools throughout the academic year, particularly through the School Resource Officer (SRO) programme.
Supt. Minto indicated that the SROs, who operate under the Community Safety and Security (CSS) arm of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), recently completed specialised training in Kingston and were deployed to several schools across the parish on Monday.
“They are in a number of our schools in Santa Cruz, in Black River, and in other parts of the parish,” Supt. Minto outlined.
“And so, that deployment, that support to our schools, will continue. It is going to continue, not just for the opening but they are permanent fixtures in our schools across the parish,” he added.
In the meantime, he pointed out that the Police Youth Club is an important extension of the CSS team’s work.
Supt. Minto said the initiative already has an active presence in Santa Cruz and continues to expand into other communities across the parish.
He used the opportunity to appeal directly to young people to get involved.
“I want to encourage our youngsters in our communities, in our schools, to join the Police Youth Club. It offers not only mentorship but a number of activities that will assist them to develop their own leadership skills, to enhance their own career pathways, and help those who wish to enter the JCF,” Supt. Minto underscored.
