Rastafarians from Bobo Hill Rastafarian Camp in Bull Bay, St Andrew, are livid that criminal elements operating in surrounding areas are tarnishing their reputation and giving the public the impression that some among them are involved in crime.

During a tour organised by the Jamaica Constabulary Force yesterday, to reassure residents of troubled communities in the Kingston Eastern Police Division that they have the police’s support, the Rastas sought to clear their name, stating that Bobo Hill is a much larger geographical area which extends beyond the boundaries of their camp.

Head of the Kingston Eastern Police Division Superintendent Tommilee Chambers, with support from Senior Superintendent (SSP) Steve McGregor, who is in charge of strategic operations for Area Four, as well as SSP Stephanie Lindsay, who heads the constabulary’s Corporate Communications Unit, went in to check on the well-being of the Rastafarians and sought to find out how the police could be of help to them.

Directly addressing the Rastafarian group, SSP McGregor said the police have discovered that criminal gangs have been using the hilly region as an escape route to evade the security forces.

“I am not necessarily saying they are using your domain specifically, but there are other places around it where we have chased men and they go up into the hills behind your space. I am getting the impression that you don’t have control of what is happening up here, but [if you know, you must tell the police] what is happening in your space.

“This location, when people say Bobo Hill, they link it to your existence. Even if the people who are committing the acts are not from Bobo Hill, is up here suh dem run come. The police want to know what is happening in the space because persons are casting aspersion that men from this side do shootings and come back up. I suppose if we engage some of the people who live in the area they might also say people from elsewhere come across, but I want to know if you have any concern about the immediate situation that is impacting your space,” McGregor told the Rastafarians.

An outspoken representative from the camp said that the Rastas there only control what takes place within their “congress” and not the entire area of Bobo Hill. He told the police and members of the media that it would be very difficult for criminal elements to come amongst them and camouflage themselves. The only way to eradicate violence and crime, the representative said, was if Government focused energy and resources to teach the younger generation about their roots and African history, which, he said, is not what obtains currently.

“The thugs cannot give us a bad name because when you come up here, you see the real thing. When you come and see for yourself, you see that Bobo Shanti stands for equal rights and justice, peace and love. Dem call the whole [place] Bobo Hill from down deh suh come up, tru we as the Bobos live up here. When people hear seh things happening at Bobo Hill, dem a wonder, but when dem come up here and see the real livity of the Bobo Shanti and see, dem understand,” he said.

“We only control the Congress. The church only governs the affairs of the church, and we teach the youths to put down the gun and to love one another. When people want to come up here, we first check dem to see if they have any criminal record and anything with the law. If you have anything with the law, you have to go and clear up dat. When you come up here, we ask you where you come from and ask about your parents and people dem. We get some numbers and call to verify these things. Some brethren even wait a year before they even get to put on the turban, because they have to write a declaration. There are seven points in the declaration and you have to write and then you sign, so it’s not like you just come a Bobo Hill and put on our turban and blend in,” he added.

Superintendent Chambers told journalists following the conversation with the Rastafarians that in the past week there had been nine individuals shot, two fatally, in the Bull Bay space. This, she said, had prompted increased presence by the security force. She said that some of the activities had spilled over into the Kingston Central Police Division because gangsters are interconnected.

“Along Weise Road, we had a drive-by in which four persons [were shot], and further out in the Eight Miles area we had another shooting up there where we had four persons shot, and another man was shot and killed in Tauna Hill. Since the recent flare-up we have increased police presence in the space. Our special operations teams have been in the space. Our Bull Bay team is also in the space, and we have increased our community intervention in the space. We have been speaking to the citizens to let them know that they are not alone and we are here to protect and reassure them and to try and bring back some calm to the community,” the superintendent said.