By Adrian Frater, News EditorWESTERN BUREAU:
WITH ST. James' murder figure now standing at 82, just one short of last year's dubious all-time record of 83, the parish has been targeted for special attention under the constabulary's new 'Geographical Police Model', which was announced on Tuesday.
Reacting to the news that murder in St. James is poised to enter uncharted waters, Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce president Winston Dear told The Gleaner on Monday that he was quite concerned about the situation, which he said was bound to have a negative impact on people's life and the tourist trade.
QUITE ALARMED
"We are quite alarmed at the situation," said Mr. Dear, expressing fears that the existing situation might hurt the city's image as a safe tourism destination. "It is really bad for the parish and is bound to have a negative impact on our main industry, tourism."
Mr. Dear's statement mirrored similar sentiments to those that were expressed by business and political leaders such as Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) president Godfrey Dyer and the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) spokesman on tourism Edmund Bartlett as the murder rate climbed briskly from just over 40 in late July to its present number.
With the parish's commanding officer, Superintendent Newton Amos and his crime chief, Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Derrick 'Cowboy' Knight, seemingly unable to stem the murder
flow and Police Commissioner Francis Forbes declared that the St. James segment of the National Crime Plan had failed, the situation was beginning to look hopeless.
However, with the newly-announced measure, which has the much-feared Senior Superintendent Donald Pusey at the helm of operations targeting St. James, residents are hopeful that the police will finally get the situation under control. Communities such as Norwood, Canterbury, Flankers, Mt. Salem and Glendevon are among those expected to be singled out for special attention.
STATISTICS
According to statistics provided by the police, the breakdown of the murders in St. James this year reads as follows: 14 domestic murders, seven drugs related, 17 gang-related, 16 robbery related, 18 reprisal, three mob killings and five for unknown reasons. It should be noted that the gun has been the weapon of choice in most of the killings.
With the parish's murder situation spiralling out of control last year, Superintendent Amos and DSP Knight were sent to St. James in January with a mandate to reduce crime by 20 per cent.
In a recent interview, DSP Knight admitted that while they were making major strides in the recovery of guns and ammunition, domestic murders remain quite worrisome.
