MONTEGO BAY, St James  ­— Stephen “Bomber” Jones believes that the newly-opened boxing gym at the Montego Bay Cricket Club will help curtail crime in St James.  

At the recent launch of the gym, Jones noted that the facility will not only be viewed from a boxing perspective.

“There are too many heinous acts happening. It is not a matter of fighting crime, the prevention of crime has to take place within the communities, along with communication between adults and children. We have to give the police more disciplined youths to protect, and we have to give the Government more well- rounded people to govern,” he urged.  

In recent years St James has accounted for a high percentage of the murders committed across the island, resulting in the implementation of a state of public emergency in the western parish.

According to Jones, the idea of the Gloves over Guns initiative, now underway at the boxing gym, is to use the sport as a platform to provide personal development, social development and community relations.  

He added that the boxing gym will be used as a hub, and will impact at least 15 communities within Montego Bay.

“The conversation cannot be that the Government and police have to fix the problem, we all have to be a part of the solution,” Jones stressed.

He emphasised the importance of having “the right conversations” about crime and violence.

“I really believe that we are going to see huge changes and the timing is critical because of the conversations that are happening now. We are having a lot of conversations about crime. The [Jamaica] Boxing Board of Control is going into communities, so it is very important that we have the right conversations,” he added.