CLARENDON, Jamaica — Central Clarendon Member of Parliament, Mike Henry, says he is concerned with the level of criminal activity in the parish and believes that the police should be properly resourced.

In a release today, Henry argued that resource is not the only deficit in the fight against crime, as bad police relationship is also a big part of the problem. He said that  as such the police must start to improve their image by more meaningfully engaging the communities that they serve.

 “Policing should be proactive, and not routinely reactive. A properly resourced police force and improved community relations are the only options to break the back of crime in the parish,” said Henry.

He added that the labelling of communities negatively is not the answer to building a good relationship with the communities that are being served.

“If the high command in the parish is unable to see how important good police/citizen relationship is to deterring crime, then the commissioner’s office needs to consider more community-oriented officers for the parish,” said Henry.

“If the police have concerns with specific communities, then it is humbly recommended that they develop police/community programmes to earn the confidence of the people that make up these communities,” stated Henry.

Henry suggested that if the police needed assistance, he would be more than happy to assist them with any community that they feel they may need help, as he believes that partnership between the civilians and the police is a step in the right direction to reduce the high crime rate plaguing the parish.

The MP said while he is appreciative of the security challenges which the police face in the parish, including in Central Clarendon, they have to understand that their main methods of fighting crime have alienated them from the people whom they serve.