SUPERINTENDENT Damion Manderson, acting commander of the St Andrew South Police Division, is encouraging people who have been robbed to make reports to the police.

Manderson made the comments following an incident on Sunday in which a staff bus carrying employees of Ibex Global was held up and the workers robbed at gunpoint by about five men on Spanish Town Road, in the vicinity of ‘Boat Island’, St Andrew. The incident occurred shortly after 5:00 am.

The voice note of a woman on social media, claiming to be one of the robbery victims, said she also witnessed others being relieved of their valuables, and that she and others did not report the incident to the police as it would be a futile exercise.

According to Manderson, only three people who were on that bus, including the driver, have come forward to report that they were robbed of phones, bank cards and other personal items.

The superintendent reminded the public that unless a crime is committed in the presence of a policeman, he won’t be able to act and can only act if a report is made.

“One thing I have come to appreciate, is that the success rate of combating lawlessness in any society is never embedded solely in the grasp of law enforcement or the police. In fact, it is more so incumbent on the citizens who see something to say something and that is the only way we can effectively do anything.

“If we don’t have persons making the report, then there is no basis upon which, if and when perpetrators are held by the police, that we can act appropriately, unless people commit acts in our presence. Come forward and talk to us. That is the only way we can start the process of identifying perpetrators to bring them to account,” he said.

He added that robberies have been a challenge in the “past few months” and encouraged the relatives and spouses of men who are robbers, not to provide safe haven for them.

“It is a situation we have been grappling with and I know we have had some attempts and close misses relative to apprehension. We will continue to reassure the motoring public and the citizens in that area that with corporation from people who are affected, we will make some breakthrough in these types of incidents,” he said.

Manderson also appealed to family members and residents within communities to give up criminals.

“We are asking the communities and the people in the homes of these young men that they would have walked from or walked back to, who are using what I would describe as blood money. I am appealing to them that they should do the honourable thing that would aid them sleeping comfortably at nights. We will not stop until we find them for sure. I will encourage them to let history remember them for their acts of patriotism rather than to be colluding with criminals,” he said.

Meanwhile, security expert Robert Finzie-Smith has suggested that Jamaica remodel its education system to teach youth to think big of themselves and achieve without becoming criminals.

“Somebody in an inner-city community is called elder. What does that tell you about life expectancy? You cannot preach future to somebody who does not have one. We have been telling youngsters for decades to go to school, get an education, get qualification and certification and get a job. All that means is that you have more people for the plantation who will fight for minimum wage,” Finzie-Smith said.

He added: “Why don’t you promote a mindset that says, go to school, get an education, certification and own something? When you are in class, nobody teaches you to apply lessons in the real world because all they are trying to do is make their thing look good by getting passes. They are supposed to teach you things like, ‘If you learn this mathematical equation, when you run your business you will be able to decide how your profit margins go.’”