NOTICE... no Rambo-style intervention will solve crime

MAYOR of Spanish Town Dr Raymoth Notice has welcomed government's announcement to deploy the army in the crime- riddled areas of Spanish Town, St Catherine.

He cautioned however that their permanent presence will erode the model of community policing and therefore must not be seen as the answer to the crime problem.

"I welcome the move as a temporary measure, but it cannot be seen as the primary answer to control the crime problem that is eroding Spanish Town," said the politician.

"No Rambo-style military intervention can help to prevent crime in Spanish Town now. The presence of soldiers in the community ... does not necessarily reduce crime, it only alleviates fear among citizens."

Declaring that while Spanish Town had more illegal guns floating around than Kingston, the firearms were being unearthed in the capital because of increased police intelligence gathering, said Notice, commending the strategy to the Spanish Town police.

Last week national security minister Peter Phillips announced the Jamaica Defence Force and the National Reserve would be deployed in crime troubled areas in Spanish Town, August Town, and East Kingston to contain the high level of murders and shootings. He said they would remain until residents feel safe to resume normal activities.

Notice said he was very optimistic about crime reduction during the military intervention but argued that over the years, Spanish Town has suffered from a flip-flopping crime rate, which, he said, indicated that no proper analysis has been done to determine the real cause of the problem and how to reduce it.

The mayor who had sought to introduce a gun amnesty in 2003 renewed his call for government to declare an amnesty, pointing out that the military was not trained to gather criminal intelligence but rather to defend the country in times of war.

Notice also urged the police to capitalise on the time that the military will be in Spanish Town to implement community programmes.

Executive Class

Gardens with Gravel

Death to the Mullet!