Montego Bay, St James - Two senior police officers last Wednesday night assured local business people that crimes have reduced in this parish despite a recent spate of brutal murders here.

According to Deputy Superintendent Paul Stanton, St James has experienced five less murders than this time last year. ".it may not seem so because of what is taking place," he said in reference to the recent upsurge in murders in the volatile Norwood community.

At least 14 persons from Norwood have been killed in separate incidents since the start of the year.
Stanton and his colleague, Inspector Edgbert Parkins, in addressing the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce's monthly meeting, also pointed to an almost 50 per cent drop in robberies in St James since January.

As you may remember, at one stage robbery was the password in the town," said Stanton. "For this year we have had a 48 per cent reduction. There were 129 robberies last year at this time. There are 67 now."

Parkins, in his speech, said: "Crime in St James is down drastically and is going down, down. Look back and see what was happening before and you can look and see what is happening now."

Stanton attributed the crime reduction to the efforts of the police, but pointed out that there was a critical need for citizens to help the police with information.

"We are trying to win the confidence of the citizens. One of the greatest challenges is silence. That is what is killing the people," said Stanton.

He also said that social intervention was needed in order to tackle the crime situation in communities like Norwood.
"We must have free roadways," he said in reference to the informal tracks in Norwood that make policing difficult.

The police officers asked the Montego Bay Chamber to help them launch a crime stop fund and a values and attitudes programme. They also suggested that the government institute an Anti-Idlers Act to keep the street corners clear of unemployed youths.

"The street corners are where a lot of indoctrination take place," said Stanton. Get them off the streets. Let them stay in the confines of their homes."

He said that nothing short of a comprehensive intervention programme that took all these factors into account would stem the crime wave.

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