Head of the St. Ann police, Senior

Superintendent Calvin Small, is calling on the business community to work more

closely with the police to safeguard their operations against criminal

activity.

He made the appeal at a meeting of the St.

Ann Chamber of Commerce at the Port Rhoades Complex in Discovery Bay, on

Thursday (October 31).

The Senior Superintendent said that while

the police have been making strides in combating criminality, greater support

is needed on the part of business owners.

He encouraged the business operators to

increase their vigilance, in order to protect themselves from becoming victims

of crime.

“Some of the things that we want to encourage the business community to do is be on the alert at all times. We want you to practice target hardening. We want you to put up good closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. I think, sometimes, when we go to the scene [of an incident], what hampers our investigators is that the cameras are there, but the quality of the images is just not good enough,” he noted.

He further advised the business operators

to train their staff “in security awareness” and establish security networks

among themselves.

Meanwhile, the Senior Superintendent said

that the St. Ann police have been maintaining a strong presence in major towns.

“We try to dominate the areas where we have

issues. As far as the policing district is concerned, Ocho Rios is the main

area of activities. Out of 235 major crimes so far this year, Ocho Rios is

featuring with 94, followed by St. Ann’s Bay, 48; and Brown’s Town 23,” he

noted.

SSP Small said that the police have also increased their presence in Steer Town and Parry Town, following a recent upsurge in gun violence in the communities.

— JIS