Infuriated by intermittent deadly gang feuds, extortion and the brazenness of criminals, many people living in Spanish Town and in communities on its fringes want the security forces to stage a massive operation in the old capital that, they hope, will put an end to the nightmare of violence to which they have been subjected to for years.

The residents shared their desire to see the crime monster tamed for good in an informal survey conducted by the Jamaica Observer last Thursday, just over a week after One Order gangsters turned on each other, killing three people and wounding others in a raging gun battle in the town.

Shortly after that firefight, the security forces imposed a curfew in sections of Spanish Town and the following day the Government placed the entire parish of St Catherine under a state of public emergency (SOE).

The measure, though widely accepted, has been criticised by some people who insist that the SOE — which has been used in other areas — is ‘worn out’.

But that view is not generally shared by the residents with whom the Sunday Observer spoke and whose identities we will not reveal.

A 47-year-old woman, who described the violence as out of control, said, “The criminals don’t have any remorse for nobody. I think the authorities should go for the head or leaders of the gangs to quell the feuds. It probably would be something like the Tivoli [operation]. This epidemic must stop to secure a safer Jamaica for our children.”

Another woman told the Sunday Observer that she is “devastated” by the violence.

“I have never seen such a time as now. I think the security forces should go door to door and check for guns, ammunition, and wanted men. I strongly believe they should have a big security operation in the parish, where security forces take drastic measures,” said the 45-year-old.

A 19-year-old man said he isn’t surprised by what is happening as there are too many guns in the hands of criminals.

“It is naive to believe that people who are in possession of destructive weapons were never going to use it to their benefit or in times of dispute as we can see today. As scary as it sounds the criminals have gotten used to the repetitive crime methods that are implemented,” he said.

“It definitely would take an overhaul of the different justice systems we know today, completely revolutionising laws and removing corruption. Community members are afraid or glorify dons and gang leaders so there would be minimum community cooperation as we saw during the Tivoli [operation]. This is more than a parish issue, as the gangs currently involve stems across different parishes, so to perform such an operation will take more than the resources Jamaica has,” he argued.

A 22-year-old man said while he was concerned about the possible spill-over effects of crime, he doesn’t think anything can be done to resolve the problem in the parish.

“If gang members do not feel the full brunt of the law, they will continue their reign of terror. I believe an operation may happen, but it may not yield much results,” he said.

Another female resident said the shootings have had a devastating effect on her family.

“We feel like we always have to watch our backs. I am worried about the transport of my children because they are public passengers. I have seen one improvement that I must point out, which is the state of emergency, said the 47-year-old woman.

“If it comes to a big security operation to fix this, I think they should [do it],” she added.

A 43-year-old woman described the situation as “very depressing”.

“I am afraid to come home…wondering if I am going to get another call saying don’t come to Spanish Town.”

She called for a return of hanging and suggested that “old, useless laws that are still holding up in court” should be amended. “These laws benefit the outlaws and not the innocent citizens of Jamaica,” she said.

“This is just terrible as a parish to have so many murders occurring within the span of a week,” said a 19-year-old man. “It’s nerve-racking to know that a drive-by [shooting] can happen at any point while a person is in the town trying to get home. Persons shouldn’t have to live in fear just because a few individuals decide that they want to commit criminal activities. If conventional crime-fighting measures aren’t working, then the Government has no choice but launch a big security operation in the parish,” he said.

“The problem with that is, you can’t have checkpoints and patrols then expect the crime to stop. Criminals will go into hiding but they still have the guns and funding to carry out criminal activities,” he added.

A 45-year-old woman described the situation as “sad, stressful and disheartening”.

“Too many idle hands are out there and too many youths with a get-rich-quick mentality. This crime situation is not a good look for the security forces and the country at large. The leaders have relaxed for too long and watched the situation get out of control and now they are trying to put a plaster on an already bad sore,” the woman said.

“The laws that are created in this country need to be reviewed and enforced. Politicians know the part they play. Drastic measures are always needed where crime is out of control, but I am not sure the drastic measures will be allowed because there are those in authority who will not want to lose their crowd and support system so they’ll find ways to oppose,” she argued.

Her views were shared by a 25-year-old man who said he would support any kind of operation that would add to the SOE.

“The Spanish Town people are tired of the reactionary policing. If you listened to the prime minister’s press conference they were saying how many gangs and criminals running up and down in the place, but it took a triple murder for them to react. We need some very serious operations,” he said.