FALMOUTH, Trelawny — The Trelawny police have raised concerns that a growing number of individuals who are not from the parish are being ordered by the court to live in Trelawny as a condition of their bail.

“I must also bring to your attention a concern that we have as police officers. We have seen an increase in the number of persons charged with serious and violent crimes from other parishes — particularly parishes that have seen an uptick in criminal activities like Clarendon, St Catherine, St James, St Ann, et cetera — they have been ordered by the court as a part of their condition of bail to reside in parishes like Trelawny,” said commander of the Trelawny Police Division, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Winston Milton.

“We are concerned about the number of these individuals that are in Trelawny, and we must make you aware because again, as we said before, usually these persons when they migrate into new spaces they continue to engage in criminal activities — and they do so within the space,” he added.

DSP Milton provided a specific example of the problem.

“There was a criminal network that was impacting, particularly, the southern part of the island, called the Speculation Gang. We had the leader of this gang who moved in a gated community here in Trelawny and, after arriving into our space, there were several areas in the parish that were impacted by the activities of this particular gang. Their modus operandi is that they moved in units of five and they are usually armed with high-powered rifles,” he told members of the Falmouth business community recently.

“So we viewed footage from CCTV in spaces that they have impacted, like Duncans, and particular businesses along Market Street [in Falmouth] would have seen some five, six people with high-powered rifles. Of course we were able to treat with this individual. He’s now in custody and no longer in the space,” he added.

DSP Milton made a strong appeal for residents to exercise vigilance when they come across strangers in their communities and to report them to the police.

“We are concerned about the number of these individuals who come into our space and we believe residents should be aware. So once they get into your space you have to open your eyes a little bit wider, and let us work closer so that we can monitor them because they do pose a threat to your safety and security,” he cautioned.

He also used the opportunity to express satisfaction with the efforts of his team in successfully working to curb major crimes in the parish.

The number of murders committed in the parish up to December 22 stood at 23, eight less than the 31 recorded during the same period last year.

The top cop also gave crime fighters kudos for their nearly 70 per cent clear-up rate of major crimes.

“Overall, we’ve been doing impressively in terms of clearing up serious and violent crime within the Trelawny space. So of the 110 crimes that have occurred so far this year we have been able to clear 71 serious and violent crimes — which is about 65 per cent of the crimes that have been committed — so we are doing well. We want to continue this partnership that we have and expand on it,” DSP Milton said.

“So far, as a police division, we have been doing satisfactorily in terms of how we are reducing the frequency of major crimes — especially those crimes that have a significant impact on our citizens. So we are trailing [recording less crime incidents] behind where we were last year but, again, I must tell you that as the principal township Falmouth is still the heaviest contributor to the crime stats in Trelawny. Of the 110 crimes that have been committed since the start of the year, some 43 of them were committed in the Falmouth police area — and I must say that the only other policing area that is close to Falmouth is Duncans with 15 so the disparity is very wide. And, of course, historically this is how it happens because of the fact that this is an urban space,” he added.