ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is raising alarm over a disturbing trend in which teenagers are staging their own kidnappings, duping loved ones into a state of panic and costing the country valuable investigative resources.

Detective Inspector Paulet Winter, who heads the Kidnapping and Extortion Team within the JCF's Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC), said the majority of false kidnapping reports are being made by adolescents age 13 to 16.

"These teens will go off with friends for days, and then, when it's time to return home, they or someone else will contact a family member claiming they've been kidnapped and are being held for ransom," Winter told THE STAR.

In several cases, relatives are asked to come up with sums ranging from a few thousand dollars to upwards of $100,000, money they're often unable to afford but feel pressured to find out of fear for the child's life. Winter noted that while such hoaxes are not unheard of among adults, they are "very rare and small in number" compared to the increasing number of teen-related cases now being flagged.

"These aren't just immature pranks," she said. "They're criminal offences. Filing a false report of a kidnapping is considered public mischief, and it's a chargeable offence."

Under Jamaican law, public mischief is defined as knowingly providing false information to authorities, leading to the misuse of police resources. Offenders can face fines or even jail time, depending on the severity and impact of their actions. As the only unit in Jamaica solely responsible for investigating kidnappings, C-TOC takes every report seriously.

"We investigate each case as if it's genuine until it's closed," Winter said. "We employ a range of technologies, intelligence, and tactical resources. But when the case turns out to be fake, it's not just frustrating, it's dangerous." She explained that while investigators are tied up chasing down false leads, real kidnapping victims could be left waiting for help that never comes.

"This type of deceit takes away from urgent cases, victims in genuine danger, and the larger fight against organised crime," she warned.

The police are urging the public to report all suspected kidnappings directly to C-TOC and for parents to have serious conversations with their children about the gravity of such actions.

"This is not a joke," Winter emphasised. "And it will not be treated like one."