MORE than 150 police and scores of soldiers are expected to be deployed in Spanish Town for today’s funeral of gangster Donovan ‘Bulbie’ Bennett, maintaining the heavy security presence that has blanketed the town in the lead-up to the burial.

Police officials declined to give specific details of the deployment, but the constabulary, trading on the background knowledge of crime chief Mark Shields, is apparently attempting to draw on the experience of the police in Northern Ireland in preventing violence at the funerals of members of the para-militaries.

“There will be . an especially heavy police presence on the day of the ‘nine night’ (Saturday) and on the day of the funeral,” Shields, who was recruited from the London Metropolitan police told the Sunday Observer.

“We want to ensure that all legitimate activity is carried out, although we fully recognise and respect the right of persons to bury their dead.”

There has been added police presence in Spanish Town over the past several days, to help build confidence in the community. People have been encouraged to report suspicious activity, including attempts to “take firearms to the funeral”.

Bennett was leader of the Clansman gang, one of the two which competed, often violently, for the towns extortion and protection racket.

But Bennett, who was wanted for a decade, was shot dead by the police last month at a newly-built home in a quiet district in the parish of Clarendon, unleashing two days of rioting in poor, blighted Spanish Town communities which benefited from his criminal largesse.

Bennett’s cronies planned a lavish funeral for him, which should have been preceded yesterday with his body going on public viewing at a playing field in the community of De La Vega City and a tour of the town.

But the police warned that no permission had been given for a parade and up to press time last night there was no sign the authorities were being defied.

There were rumours earlier last week that Klansman gang members were coercing businesses to close yesterday as a mark of “respect” for the slain criminal and the communities were being “persuaded” to turn out for yesterday’s planned event and today’s funeral, on pain of violence.

Spanish Town was visibly tense yesterday, but calm.

The usually bustling commercial centre was scant and some shops closed. Most reported slow trade – as was the case with SuperPlus supermarket on Burke Road. Audrey McKenzie, the store’s manager said traffic was a fraction of what was normal for a Saturday.

“Normally on a monthend Saturday the lines would be back down to the end of the isles,” she said. That did not happen this time.

“We were more anxious yesterday (Friday),” McKenzie said. “We expected that if there was any disruption it would have come (then). I applaud the security forces as unlike the first time (in the aftermath of Bennett’s killing) there was a heavy presence.”