KINGSTON, Jamaica — Government back-bencher, Denise Daley, says that there is almost zero level crime in her Eastern St Catherine constituency.

The constituency, which includes communities such as Gravel Heights, Shelter Rock/Dempshire, Rivoli, Windsor Heights, Central Village and the area Daley described in her speech as “the Republic of De La Vega City”, has a reputation as the base of the much feared Klansman gang and a major source of violence in the Spanish Town community.

But, Daley insisted, in her sectoral debate speech in the House of Representatives on Tuesday that all that has changed.

“There is almost a zero level crime rate, with community participation, in the constituency,” the first time People’s National Party (PNP) MP told the House.

“The community of Gravel Heights suffered from the migration of residents, because of crime and violence and the threat it posed to their lives and that of their families. Today, I can inform this House that Gravel Heights is now crime free. A new identity has been created for the community and the residents,” she said.

Daley said that residents who had fled the Gravel Heights area during the violence, which forced former Prime Minister Bruce Golding to order that a temporary military post be established in the community in 2009, have been moving back  “from all over Jamaica” to reclaim their lands.

Last December, 85 people living in the 80-acre community, received titles from the Housing Agency of Jamaica to the land they occupied.

She said that several entities should be commended for the role they have played in the reduction of crime and violence in the constituency, including “the minister of national security who took the time to walk the community, to bring back confidence to the people”.

She also informed the House that the Tredegar Park All Age School, which suffered a decline in attendance as a result of the crime in the constituency, is once again “filled to capacity”.

Eastern St Catherine is known as the home base of the notorious Klansman gang which supports the PNP. Its most notorious leader, Donovan ‘Bulbie’ Bennett was killed in a much publicised gun battle with the police in Rock River, Clarendon in October, 2005. Alleged current leader, Tesha Miller, was sentenced to two years imprisonment in a federal court in Florida in June, and is likely to be deported to Jamaica after completing his sentence.

Daley, a former deputy Mayor of Spanish Town and councillor for Linstead, said that she will be organizing training for individuals from the “volatile communities of the constituency” in etiquette, resume writing and interview skills, to empower them.

“I will be assisting five ex-prisoners every six months with a bed, a two burner stove, $5,000 and training in a skills area,” Daley told Parliament.

She said that the end result should be that, within the next five years, there should be no repeat offenders, “as they will be empowered with the tools to make them take responsibility for themselves and become worthwhile citizens”.

However, Daley did not say whether this programme would be financed through her Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocation, or through private financing.

Meanwhile recent police crime stats place St Catherine with the highest number of murders in police divisions across the island since the start of the year.