By Garwin Davis, Assistant News EditorTHE GOVERNMENT'S anti-harassment programme, geared at minimising the problem of visitor harassment in the resort towns, is in jeopardy.
According to sources, the Ministry of Finance, faced with serious budgetary constraints, will either be cutting significantly the number of officers in the 120-strong patrol stationed in the island's resort towns or do away with the programme altogether.
The move is strongly opposed by the Tourism Ministry and has angered business operators in the tourist areas. Business interests are worried that visitor harassment, which has been greatly curtailed, could again escalate, further throwing the industry into turmoil.
"This would be inexplicable, considering all the problems we've had with harassment. The presence of the resort patrol is needed in the resort towns and such a move would certainly be counterproductive if not devastating," contends Joe Issa, Executive Vice-President of the SuperClubs chain of hotels.
Mark Kerr-Jarrett, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, agreed. "How could they even begin to contemplate such a thing?" he asked. "This only goes to show the great disconnection between Government officials in Kingston and people in the resort areas. The Montego Bay community and Chamber of Commerce will strongly resist this movement. As it is we are already short on security and could not take a further reduction."
Sources say the Finance Ministry which has been contemplating the move since last year, has again indicated its intention to the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), under whose jurisdiction the resort patrol falls. The programme has already experienced a 20% reduction in budgetary support since last year.
Finance Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, could not be reached for comment yesterday and Executive Director of TPDCo Karl Binger did not return calls to his office.
Commander John McFarlane of the Port Security Corps, the security body directly in charge of the resort patrol, said he has neither seen nor heard anything to indicate that the programme was in trouble.
"As far as we are aware, we have the full support of everyone that has anything to do with the sector," he said. "My own impression is that the value of the resort patrol is so evident that there is no intention to reduce it or to do away with it."
The resort patrol was introduced five years ago to tackle the problem of visitor harassment which was considered to be at an all time high and a major threat to the tourism industry.
Over the past two years, the security group under the stewardship of anti-harassment czar Carl Miller, has been credited with making significant strides in curtailing harassment to the point where cruise officials have commended their efforts.
"I know the programme has the full support of both Ministers Aloun Assamba and Wykeham McNeill," Mr. Miller said. "We have been very successful and will continue to operate with even greater effieciency."
