WESTERN BUREAU – Robert Russell, chairman of Summerfest Productions, has predicated that Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest could help to temporarily stem the wave of crime in St James by providing jobs.

The show begins tomorrow and will end next Saturday.

“I think Sumfest would have a very positive effect on the crime situation because it increases earnings in the town and for all the people who are living in and around Montego Bay.

And, I think the more that you can generate income is the best way known to reduce crime,” Russell told the Observer.

The event provides locals with an opportunity to make money through the provision of a market for whatever items they may choose to peddle. The sale of “reggae beds” made of cardboard has proven a lucrative business for many.

There are also the craft and food vendors who flock to the event to sell their wares, along with a range of companies like Red Stripe, Caribbean Producers and Cable & Wireless who purchase booth space which they use to market their own products.

There have been at least 80 murders in St James since the start of the year, 100 per cent more than the same period last year. The spin-offs provided by festivals such as Sumfest, Russell argued, could help keep crime under control.

“I think we need to do more of these festivals to increase and generate income and to bring foreign visitors in. We see (Sumfest) as a catalyst to the economy, and anything that can generate income in the area, I think, would help in that process to reduce crime,” Russell said. “It has happened every year. and we are hoping that this year won’t be any different.”