Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
A JOINT police and military squadron imposed a second curfew within nine days in Spanish Town yesterday, throwing a dragnet over the De la Vega City area of the Old Capital.
Superintendent Ionie Ramsay of the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) told The Gleaner that the curfew was launched at 6:00 am with 79 persons detained at the De la Vega City Market. At press time the police were unable to say if anyone was arrested and charged.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Arthur Martin, told The Gleaner that the curfew covers March Pen Road to the west, the Spanish Town bypass to the south, Salt Pond Road to the east and Burke Road to the north. ACP Martin said the duration of the operation depends on the level of criminality in De la Vega City. "It's a situational thing, but we will stay here for as long as it is necessary," he said.
Unlike last week's four-day operation in the crime-ridden communities of Ellerslie Pen and Tawes Pen which drew the wrath of some residents, yesterday's procedure was welcomed by most people, some of whom had relatives among the detained.
HOME TO THE 'KLANSMAN' GANG
"Wi know sey dem (relatives) a go get process den dem let dem go. Mi wouldn't mind if dem stay the whole year," said one woman who stood yards from the wire-circled compound.
"Mi nuh have nuthin 'gainst it...dem can stay as long as dem want," said another woman.
The De la Vega City area is reportedly home to the 'Klansman' gang which supports the governing Peoples National Party (PNP). The Spanish Town Police say they have a long-standing feud with the 'One Order' gang which has ties to Tawes Pen and Ellerslie Pen, which traditionally have backed the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
Last week's operation was condemned by JLP leader Bruce Golding and Olivia Grange, the JLP's Member of Parliament for Central St. Catherine, where Tawes Pen and Ellerslie Pen are located. Mr. Golding denounced the action of the security forces, saying the detention of over 140 residents was illegal. He said citizens held in barbed wire conditions was similar to the German Nazi camps of the 1940s.
The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) reports that none of the detainees in the Ellerslie Pen/Tawes Pen curfew were arrested or charged.
Spanish Town has been one of the most violent areas in Jamaica during the past two years. Statistics from the Spanish Town Police reveal that of the 231 murders recorded in the parish of St. Catherine in 2004, 181 took place in Spanish Town.
