SAVANNA LA MAR, Westmoreland — A breath of fresh air is how many residents of Westmoreland are describing the efforts of the police in the parish.

Business operators and residents are saying they now feel safer in communities where they have not felt safe for a long while.

“Mi use to fraid fi lef mi house. But everyweh you walk a Grange Hill now you see police,” Joy Spence, a resident of the troubled community, told the Jamaica Observer.

Grange Hill was a hotbed of criminal activity earlier this year, with five people fatally shot in less than 72 hours in March.

Weeks later 16-year-old Grange Hill High School student Carson Barrett was killed in the community and a female schoolmate left nursing gunshot wounds as the police struggled to stem what was labelled gang violence.

But in recent weeks the area has quieted down, with the police establishing a strong presence in the space and seizing a number of illegal weapons.

Now, in addition to Spence, residents in the downtown Savanna-la-Mar and the Negril environs are singing the praise of the Westmoreland police.

“I felt their presence, before, during, and after the storm,” Keith Forbes, resident of Savanna-la-Mar, told the Observer. “Especially after the storm, every minute a next police drive pass mi gate,” added Forbes.

During his report to the monthly meeting of Westmoreland Municipal Corporation Thursday, head of the Westmoreland police Superintendent Othneil Dobson stated that murders are down in the parish since the start of this year, with the official Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) statistics reporting 57 murders in the parish up to July 6, down from 65 for the same period last year.

Dobson told the meeting that many members of the JCF have received superior training, “thus the fight for crime, while still ongoing, is now more effective”.

He added: “To the wanted men we are sending a warning: When we come for you, do not challenge the police, because in most cases you can see that superior training will win. So just come willingly and be brought before the courts.”

Dobson also claimed that incidents of robberies and rape are also showing lower figures than the previous year.

However, he underscored that the rape cases usually involve individuals close to the families and pleaded with the residents to be mindful of who they are leaving their children with.

“We hope to partner with the councillors and other stakeholders in reviving the police youth clubs and the neighbourhood watch to help [with crime prevention],” said Dobson.

Turning to Hurricane Beryl, which impacted Jamaica just over one week ago, Dobson said work on clearing the roadways began at 11:00 pm on July 3 after the worst of the system had passed.

He said the continuous efforts of the police, with assistance from the Westmoreland Fire Brigade, members of the Jamaica Defence Force, and residents, ensured that some of the major roadways were cleared by end of day July 4.

“I want to commend you,” Councillor Julian Chang (People’s National Party, Savanna-la-Mar Division) told Dobson during Thursday’s meeting.

“Usually during storms you have of lots of burglary, this time around there were minimal reports,” said Chang.