Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer

Assistant Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington. - Norman Grindley /Deputy Chief Photographer

Jamaica is not currently marked as a direct target for terrorist attacks during Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007, but that status could change and the country will be on its highest ever alert, according to local security planners for the tournament.

Police admit that the massive influx of visitors, plus relaxed travel restrictions to allow hassle-free movement between Caribbean nations during CWC, offer a unique opportunity for subversives to hatch a plot in the island against their enemies.

"Nothing has been red-flagged yet as threats directed at the tournament," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington, who is in charge of police operations and is chairman of the Jamaica Local Security Committee for CWC 2007.

"(However) we believe that the events of the Cricket World Cup 2007 tournament could change that threat environment and for that reason we are putting in countermeasures to, first of all, prevent any attempt or any act of terrorism in the country, and also to develop the capacity to respond to it if there is an imminent threat or, worst case scenario, a terrorist (attack)," he added later.

Available if necessary

However ACP Ellington, who discussed security issues while visiting the new multi-purpose stadium in Rock, Trelawny recently, said although the public should not expect widespread colour-coded announcements, used for example in the United States to highlight threat levels for terrorist activities, some 12,000 local law enforcement officers, from the Jamaica Constabulary Force and Island Special Constabulary Force, plus district constables, will be available for duty if necessary during the tournament.

The CWC begins in March. Sabina Park in Kingston will host official preliminary round games and a semi-final match, while the Trelawny stadium is the site of the tournament's opening ceremony and warm-up matches.

Ellington conceded that the same easy access to Jamaica which tourists have always found attractive, with some allowed in without even a passport, can lure cricket fans as well as terrorists. Reasons for an attack could be varied, he explained, and although Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean may not necessarily be the prime focus of any disruption, some countries sending visitors to the region may be viewed as enemies and, therefore, targets for those capable of attacks.

"These are conditions that can be exploited by evildoers like the terrorist type to come in and perpetrate harm against us and against interests from abroad that are in the country," Ellington said.

"We do recognise that the threat of terrorism is a salient one to civilisation anywhere in the world, although the (Caribbean) region (which hosts CWC 2007) has been considered a zone of peace, and Jamaica has regarded itself for a long time now as a very peaceful area, not necessarily a target of traditional terrorists or new terrorists."

Locally, the signs of beefed up security are already becoming evident. Organisers are demanding proper identification from people planning to be in the vicinity of both playing grounds during games. Also, operators of the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay said recently that security has become the main focus in its expansion process, whereas stopping the drug trade once occupied the top priority rung.

Swapping information

So far, Ellington said, Jamaica's police have been cooperating with other countries, like the U.S., swapping information about security issues relating to the tournament. However, he was adamant that arrangements in Jamaica are being handled by local police, without forced intervention from other nations.

"There's no arrogance," he said. "There's no attempt (by foreigners) at supervising what we do."

According to Ellington, Jamaica understands the global visibility of CWC, which could make it a tempting target, and has, therefore, stepped up its collaboration efforts as the tournament draws closer.

"There is an intensification of those activities because ... not that it (an attack) is anticipated, but it is a realistic assumption to make that terrorists may see the tournament as a prime target to achieve their objective of mass casualty, mass exposure and all of that," Ellington explained.

"And there are interests from the United States, (its allies) the U.K., Canada and elsewhere, which are going to be converged in the region, and in Jamaica. We are in cooperation with them to protect those interests, both abroad and here."

No details disclosed

He declined to disclose any details of the link between the countries, even refusing to list specific foreign agencies working with Jamaica. However, he did refer to the level of cooperation as "serious," especially in the areas of anti-terrorism strategies and tactics. Meanwhile, Ellington said neither the U.S., U.K. nor Canada has been excessive in its insistence that Jamaica tightens security during CWC.

"My assessment of the tone of our external partners, the United States included, is that they have been very respectful of our capacity to assess the threat and the risks," he said. "They have been very respectful of our capacity to determine where there are gaps in our response capabilities and they have offered assistance respectfully."

The interests of the U.S. and Britain have been targets for terrorists in recent years, most notably the plane attacks on New York and the Pentagon in September 2001 and subway bombings in London last year. England will play in CWC. The team has a huge fan base, which is expected to follow it around the Caribbean. The Americans will not play in the tournament, but the close proximity of the region to the U.S. has also raised concerns that subversives could use the Caribbean as an access point.

Home-grown crime

However, threats from overseas have not erased the focus on home-grown crime in the island as well during CWC. Ellington explained that the police have been conducting "location threat assessments and risk assessments" at the two cricket venues in Jamaica, including possible environmental, accidental, technical or mechanical problems, in addition to criminal and terrorist acts.

"Within the context of a mass crowd sport event, which involves a lot of sports tourists, there are opportunities for increase in crimes against visitors," he said.

Whereas Trelawny is listed among the most peaceful parishes in Jamaica, with the stadium site itself highlighted by Ellington as "almost virgin territory" in relation to crime, the capital city Kingston has a known reputation for violence. The police said they have already begun focusing on "crime hot spots", criminal networks, tracking the movement of criminals from other areas and generally trying to disrupt criminal operations in and around the Trelawny site and Sabina Park.

"Our stance is a proactive one," Ellington said, while acknowledging the massive effort needed to make CWC safe, "and if we're able to maintain the resilience in this area we should not have any serious crime challenges during the tournament."

Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.