More police are to be deployed in St Ann’s tourist resort areas as security is beefed up to manage an expected increase in commercial and leisure activities from the more than 20,000 visitors the parish is preparing to host during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 tournament.

Superintendent Dudley Scott, who is in charge of the St Ann police division, said some police personnel will be pulled from desk jobs to patrol the streets as well as to take part in overt and covert operations in the parish.

“When you look at the increased activities that will be coming on stream within the hotels, heritage areas and, for example, the newly announced village at Turtle River Park, then definitely we will have to increase the presence of the police,” Scott told the Observer.

“We have to pull out all resources, which will include our administrative people in the offices and also the management team who will be there to provide effective supervision,” he added.

Scott noted that although special attention will be paid to robbery and street crimes, the police will also be stepping up its spot checks and search operations, especially along main thoroughfares. The increased spot checks, he explained, started earlier this year.

Scott declined to state exactly how many police will be on the streets during the tournament, offering only that the number will be significant enough to create a high visible presence.

He further explained that the police will also be looking at managing certain hot spots, which have become particularly vulnerable to criminal activities. “We have to put these under focus and ensure that the police cover and monitor these areas,” he said.

Keen attention, he added, will also be paid to some problematic squatter settlements and other communities such as Rockwood, Pear Tree Bottom, Belair Settlement, Roaring River, Windsor, Seville, Top Bay, Falklands, Line Bottom and Parry Town.

“There is an influx of migrating persons who come to settle in these communities and who are involved in criminal activities, and so we are seeing an increase in crime in these areas,” he said.

“We will be in place also to ensure public safety, to maintain public order and to ensure free movements of traffic and pedestrians.

He said the police presence will be most visible in shopping, transportation and market centres, night spots, hot spots, and those other areas which will be frequented by a lot of people during the period of the tournament.