RESIDENTS of the volatile March Pen Road in Spanish Town on Tuesday unveiled a six-month work plan as part of their efforts to bring peace to the violence-torn community.

The community-driven work plan, parts of which are already underway, is the culmination of the combined efforts of community leaders, the police and several civic groups as well as the church and will be led by a development committee comprising individuals from across the community.

Treasurer of the March Pen Corletts Development Committee (MCDC), Christopher Brown, speaking at a press conference in the area on Tuesday, said the six-month work plan is intended to address several issues which were commonly identified by residents as major deterrents to their development.

These, he said, were:

. the lack of unity among groups;

. the zinc fence and garrison phenomenon;

. poor physical infrastructure;

. unemployment;

. stigmatisation; and

. harsh and unfair treatment by the police.

Among the planned activities are: an opportunity and health fair slated for August 12, the formation of a community-based organisation and a summer football corner league involving the police and the Social Development Commission.

Brown said the community centre in the area would be refurbished under the Community Security Initiative, while a farming programme would be started, in addition to fundraising events, the proceeds from which will be used for community activities and back-to-school assistance for children in the area.

An upbeat Mark Shields, the deputy commissioner of police in charge of crime, speaking at the press conference, said the “stage has been set for reconciliation and bringing peace back into the community”.

According to DCP Shields, the model was a shining example to the rest of Jamaica as to how one community could turn itself around.

He added that the activities being undertaken would put an end to several negatives in the community, including police brutality and criminal activities.

“Quite often the negatives which occur in March Pen are not caused by the majority of the people, it is often a very, very small group of people which have a huge effect upon the lives of the people…the only way we can build March Pen and the rest of Jamaica is to stop the guns and for the community individually and collectively to work with each other and the police,” Shields said.

At the same time, the MCDC public relations officer Canute Clennon told the Observer that residents have been enjoying four months of relative peace and ‘zero’ shootings since representatives from the three sections of the community began meeting to put their concerns and suggestions on the table.

“It has gotten better because they have formed a committee that consists of the three different sections of the community – March Pen top or Africa, Big tree in the middle and 88 down the bottom. over the past months we have seen the ballground come back alive with members coming from all over the community so we can say we are a step ahead again”, said Clennon.

Assistant regional director for the SDC’s Region Five Dwayne Vernon was also optimistic that the objectives of the six-month work plan were achievable.

“.The difference with this programme is that you are not seeing the beginning today, work began long ago and the significant difference with this and other programmes in the past is that it is community driven and led; not agency driven,” he said.

Vernon said his expectations were also high because the committee was led by “very serious community leaders from the various factions”. He added that one other encouraging factor was the participation by men in the 18 to 35 age groups.

And Father Richard Albert, the chairman of the Spanish Town Crime Prevention Committee said the initiative was a moment of hope for the community.

“It’s a hope for the community. It’s a moment where the community is taking charge of itself. It is a moment where the community is saying enough is enough we are now going to take charge of our own responsibilities …our own lives,” said the Roman Catholic priest.

Albert was critical of people in Spanish Town who did not want to see a peace pact but said the peace initiative would continue until Spanish Town was returned to its “glory days”.

“There are powers that be in and around Spanish Town that do not want to see this happening but we not going to be daunted; we going to just keep going forward, working with each community one by one until we can hopefully bring back Spanish Town to its glory days,” Father Albert told the Observer.