Amid shark scare, Trelawny's top cop says beaches are safe for swimming

TRELAWNY, Jamaica – Trelawny Police Division Commander Superintendent Winston Milton has sought to reassure the public that beaches in the parish are safe for swimming and are not overrun by sharks, as has been rumored in some circles.

“The public concern now is that the waters along our coast are infested with sharks and are not safe for swimming. I have to say that after consulting with marine stakeholders in this area and fishermen here, there is no evidence of that. There is no evidence that there is a shark infestation in our waters,” Superintendent Milton said.

He continued: “To date there have been no reports of shark sightings in the waters used by swimmers along the Trelawny coast and it is fair to say that our beaches here in Trelawny are relatively safe for swimming.”

The concern was apparently sparked by the discovery of the mutilated body of 16-year-old Jahmari Reid of William Knibb Memorial High School off the coast of Falmouth on Tuesday morning. It is believed that the body was destroyed by a shark attack.

Milton pointed out that the body was found two miles off the coast of Falmouth, but argued that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that Reid was the victim of a shark attack.

“There is much speculation that the body was torn apart by sharks at sea. However, I must state categorically that there is no imperial evidence of this. The body was found about three kilometers from the coast of Trelawny, where the boy was fishing. This is a popular fishing spot for anglers,” said the head of the Trelawny Police Station.

Milton noted that it is very likely that the mutilated body recovered from the sea was Reid, but he said investigators are waiting for scientific evidence to conclusively establish the body's identity.

“Trelawny Police are aware of the public's concerns surrounding the mutilated body found at sea. There is a possibility that this body is that of Jahmari Reid, a 16-year-old student at William Knibb High School who went fishing on Monday morning. Regardless, we are awaiting DNA confirmation,” Superintendent Milton said.