MONTEGO BAY, St James — Forty specially trained police officers were this week deployed across Montego Bay as part of an initiative by the police and the tourism ministry to revamp patrolling in resort areas.

Their deployment and that of 60 others to Negril and Ocho Rios, followed their Team Jamaica training at Twickenham Park, which was geared at equipping them to deal with harassment as Jamaica approaches this year’s highly anticipated winter tourist season. Their training was facilitated by the Tourism Product Development Company.

Junior tourism minister, Wykeham McNeil, has welcomed their deployment.

“With our visitor arrivals this year set to achieve new levels, we must double our efforts to create the necessary environment in which our visitors can have a positive vacation,” he said.

Assistant commissioner of police in charge of Area One, Linton Latty, has said it is the police’s aim to minimise complaints by tourists, and that the officers would maintain a presence in the particular areas even after the winter season while they sought new avenues to ensure visitor protection.

The areas to be patrolled, he said, are those most frequented by visitors, including Gloucester and Kent avenues, the City Centre and the craft market.

Meanwhile, superintendent in charge of St James, Newton Amos has called on tourism interests in the second city to encourage visitors to give statements whenever a crime is committed against them.

“The police officer is powerless unless we have secured a statement from the complainant. There are provisions to have tourists brought back… for us to have the matter pursued in our courts,” he said.