LUCEA, Hanover — Authorities in Hanover have expressed outrage over the defacing of murals in the town of Lucea, less than a week after they were unveiled by Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer last Thursday, superintendent of police in charge of the Hanover Police Division Sharon Beeput, reiterated the need for closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the town that could aid the police in their investigations.

“People are going around and defacing these walls but you don’t know who is doing it. So, if you had the cameras now, you would be able to see who is doing so. We are asking persons to desist from carrying out these acts. You need to keep your township clean,” she appealed.

Some major towns across Jamaica have the benefit of utilising the national CCTV surveillance programme dubbed ‘JamaicaEye’, something Hanover does not have at its disposal.

Launched in 2018, JamaicaEye is a public-private partnership designed to network cameras owned by the national security ministry with those owned by private individuals or establishments.

Beeput’s colleague, Deputy Superintendent Keeble Simms, said they are, “soliciting the support of stakeholder groups in procuring some of these CCTV cameras which will naturally aid in crime prevention”.

It was a sentiment also shared by Councillor Marvell Sewell (People’s National Party, Green Island Division) during his address to the monthly general sitting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation last Thursday.

Noting that the Pisces symbol spray-painted on one of two murals as well as private properties across Lucea is not something to take lightly, Sewell pointed to the possible use of CCTV footage from business establishments, if available.

“It would really be nice if we could find a CCTV camera that captured the culprits who painted the wall and give them the full length of the laws of Jamaica. That person is supposed to be put away because when you treat the town like that, imagine where you live,” said Sewell.

“This is not something that we should really not take lightly… because it makes no sense taking 10 steps forward and 10 steps behind,” added the councillor, who said there was need for a full investigation.

Sewell said the vandalism of the mural was disheartening, especially as the painting was part of an initiative to beautify the town.

The murals, part of the ministry’s ‘Paint the City, Paint the Town’ initiative, were unveiled during the launch of the national programme on April 8.

At the time McKenzie said Hanover would be the showcase for the entire country.

The ‘Paint the City, Paint the Town’ initiative is aimed at giving towns across the island a facelift while at the same time providing temporary and permanent employment. The Hanover leg of the programme, which is being implemented in Lucea and Hopewell, is valued at between $16 and $18 million.

Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels said the vandalism of the mural was worrying.

“We have been criticised and we got the opportunity to really clean up our town and give the town a facelift and to know that somebody is going around defacing the murals that we have put in place in the town” is disturbing, he said.

The mayor also asked Councillor Devon Brown (Jamaica Labour Party, Hopewell Division) to keep an eye out to prevent a recurrence in that town.

In addition to landmark scenes from the parish, the murals bear the images of outstanding Hanoverians such as Sir Alexander Bustamante, the country’s first prime minister; PJ Patterson, former prime minister; Kenneth Hall, former governor general; Olympian Merlene Ottey; and Odail Todd, sprinter. The third-oldest secondary school on the island, Rusea’s High School, which is situated in Hanover with two campuses, is also on the mural.

The ‘Paint the City, Paint the Town’ programme, which was originally conceptualised for the Corporate Area but was later extended to rural towns, is being funded through the Consolidated Fund in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.