BUNKER’S HILL, Trelawny – RESIDENTS of Bunker’s Hill and its environs are urging the police to lift the three-year ban prohibiting the staging of social events in the community at nights.

The restriction, the residents argued, is stifling the growth and development of the rural community.

“The non-issuance of permits for us to stage fund-raising events at nights is having a bad impact on the community,” area leader Dale Walker said. “Without fund-raising events we won’t be able to raise money to undertake a number of projects that we want to do in the area, so I am appealing to the police to lift the ban.”

Walker, who is also the chairman of the management committee of the newly refurbished Unity Sports Complex in Bunker’s Hill, explained that the easing of the ban has become even more necessary, since the $21million rehabilitated sports complex is set to be handed over to the once-vibrant community soon.

“Now that we have the refurbished complex, funding will be needed to operate it. If we don’t have fund-raising events, then we won’t be able to maintain the facility,” Walker added.

Funded under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Sugar Transformation Unit (STU), the multimillion-dollar renovated sports complex involved the construction of a multi-purpose court, rehabilitation of a football field as well as the fencing of the court and football field.

The dilapidated community centre on the compound was also rehabilitated under the initiative.

Walker told the Jamaica Observer West that the complex will serve to address the diverse needs of Bunker’s Hill and surrounding communities.

“At the complex we plan to facilitate skills training, educational classes, sports training and provide a secure centralised location for community enhanced projects,” he said, stressing that without fund-raising events the goals of the committee will not be realised.

Walker, who is also the president of the 39-year-old Invaders Sports Club, one of two sporting groups in Bunker’s Hill, said the ban stemmed from a shooting incident in the community, about fours ago. The shooting, he said, stemmed from a domestic dispute.

Apart from another shooting incident last year, the area has been relatively calm, residents say. Notwithstanding this, Walker said, residents and business operators have failed in their efforts to obtain permits

to stage events for the public at nights.

“Up to three weeks ago, a ‘dead yard’ [wake] permit was turned down,” he said.

Yesterday, Superintendent Wilford Campbell, the commanding officer for Trelawny, pointed out that the police are not responsible for issuing permits for the staging of events, but for the playing of music at the functions.

He said that his office will not lift the ban placed on the playing of music at public gatherings in Bunker’s Hill, until he is satisfied that the police are getting the full

co-operation of the citizens in the community in the fight against crime.

“Until the citizens can assure me that they are co-operating with the police, certainly we have to take a hard stance, and so we are not going to grant any permits… and this is for security reasons,” Campbell said.

He noted that since the start of the year, the Wakefield Police Division, which includes Bunker’s Hill, has accounted for three murders.

He said a fatal shooting occurred at a wake in Friendship, which adjoins Bunker’s Hill, late last year. He said that citizens recovered a gun during the incident and but have failed to hand it over to the police as promised.

Patrick Stewart, the vice-chairman of the Bunker’s Hill Community Development Committee (CDC) said that residents are not averse to having police present at events staged in the community.

“Showing their presence is vital to us as well,” he said. “We are not trying to keep away the security activities as such, so we’re really urging them to give us a chance and lift the ban. We would very much appreciate it.”

According to Stewart, the CDC’s inability to stage social activities has prevented the group from making a greater impact in the community.

“Having a social event is one of the main ways that we can make money to keep activities in the community going and carry out development in the community, so if we are restrained from it, it is going to slow up the whole procedure and the advancement of the whole community,” said Stewart, adding that funds provided by government are not enough to address the needs of the community.

He said that some of the projects the CDC would like to undertake are the erection of signage, the cleaning of drains, maintenance of playfields and construction of bus sheds.

Charlotte Billings, proprietor of Nadz Irie Vibz Restaurant in Bunker’s Hill, told the Observer West that she had applied for permits to stage public events several times over the last few years, but was denied.

She said that sometime last year she suffered heavy financial losses after she was told that she would be given a permit to stage an event at her business place, only to be told hours before the start of the scheduled event that the permit would not be granted.

Dahlia Hunter, another businesswoman in the community, who is also the manager of So Fresh Football Club, also complained to the Observer West about the debilitating effect the inability to stage fund-raising activities is having on her business and club.