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Brazen criminals in Westmoreland are reportedly using cyberspace as their new playground to promote illicit entertainment events that fuel violent crime, according to Superintendent Othniel Dobson, head of the Westmoreland Police Division.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Westmoreland chapter of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica, Dobson revealed a chilling link between these unauthorised events and the deadly cycle of murders plaguing the parish. He said that 19 of the 100 murders recorded in Westmoreland last year were directly tied to illegal parties and dances promoted on WhatsApp and other digital platforms. He said that the promoters received no permits from the authorities, including the police, for the staging of these events.

"A lot of them are not physically putting out their posters for us to see them, but a lot of them have gone to cyberspace," Dobson stated, exposing how scammers and money launderers dodge authorities while peddling their criminal enterprises online.

He urged residents to expose these activities, warning that these events bankroll criminal gangs and arm them with deadly weapons.

"Just screenshot it and send it to us, we'll appreciate it," Dobson appealed to citizens. "These events form criminal gangs. That's where they launder their money and use it to buy guns. We need to hit those critical cash."

The consequences of these illicit gatherings are catastrophic. Dobson detailed how these unpermitted events - often featuring gunfire and noise disturbances - trigger deadly reprisals and counter-reprisals.

"Nineteen of our murders last year came from events, those noises that prevented you hard-working persons from sleeping," Dobson said.

Dobson didn't mince words when outlining the police's zero-tolerance approach to these crimes.

"We are not in the business of just turning off the music; we are going to take away the sound systems, we are going to charge them, and we are going to take them in front of the judge," he declared.