MONTEGO BAY, St James — COMMANDER of the St James Police Division Merrick Watson and president of the Jamaica Agriculture Association (JAS) Glendon Harris have both expressed alarm at the increase unsupervised pit bulls and other viscious half-breeds.

“These pit bulls and other pedigree dogs are sometimes not being properly manned. So we find that they roam the street at will and mate with common dogs to produce fierce animals that endanger communities,” said Harris, noting that he has been recently inundated with complaints from lifestock farmers of dogs preying upon their stock.

“Quite a number of our goat and sheep farmers have been losing their stock to dogs so it is a major concern for us. But what we see now is a lot of persons have these dogs that are not being manned coming in the local areas,” the JAS president lamented.

Commander of the St James Police Division Merrick Watson also expressed concern.

“Wherever you go it is like an epidemic washing Jamaica right now, especially in the inner cities. All of a sudden everybody is walking around with a pit bull. We have noticed it and it is a cause for concern because we know that these dogs are very vicious.

Noting that these dogs could pose a challenge to law enforcement, Superintendent Watson said that the police would have no option but to kill these brutal dogs if they threatened them.

“I am concerned about the proliferation of these pit bulls all over the place when you take into consideration that in some States these dogs are banned because of their viciousness, you have to wonder why it is so easy to bring them into this country. It poses a serious challenge especially for the law enforcement whenever you need to go to places to effect searches and carry out warrants, these dogs will attack.

And if they attack the police will be left with absolutely no option but to defend themselves and that includes shooting these dogs,” he said.