THE curfews imposed by the police in sections of Manchester have proven to be a double-edged sword, especially for people who live and operate businesses in Porus.

On one hand, the Constabulary says the security measure is necessary to bring murders and other violent crimes under control. In contrast, residents are fuming that the curfews are having a deleterious effect on their ability to make a living.

The residents have been airing their complaints for months, and last Wednesday their frustration came to a boil at a town hall meeting at Trinity Baptist Church in Porus.

Take the case of a vendor who told the meeting that her business had declined since the imposition of the first curfew last October.

The woman, who spoke anonymously, described herself as a “small business owner” selling soup and other cooked food. She explained that she starts cooking at 9:00 am. Most of her sales come after people leave work, especially after 6:00 pm, but with the curfew hours starting at 6:30 pm she rarely gets sales and is therefore forced to dump most of the food.

“What can I make from my small business when there is a curfew? I have three children to take care of. I pay my bills from my small business. We are suffering in Porus from the curfew,” she cried.

That vendor’s experience is not unique as other business operators’ grouses have been aired in this newspaper in recent weeks.

However, the police, who organised the town hall to discuss security concerns, including the continuous imposition of curfews over the past six months, were at pains to defend the measure while expressing sympathy for the residents’ plight.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Lohas Daniels, the operations officer for the parish, said that he understood the social and economic constraints caused by the curfew but juxtaposed that with the potential loss of life due to crime.

Deputy Superintendent Daniels told the meeting that the measure is working because, since the start of the year, Manchester has seen a 40 per cent reduction in criminal activity.

The issue, though, is how can the authorities find the right balance between keeping crime in check while ensuring that residents are able to make a living to meet their financial obligations.

There is need for a solution, one devoid of the emotion displayed by mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell at the town hall meeting. While we agree with him that what is needed is for the authorities to sit with the people “and to see how best we can help to alleviate some of the problems”, we can’t ignore the fact that as Mandeville’s first citizen and head of the parish’s local authority he should have already had the police, citizens, business operators, and the other political representatives talking about this matter before it got to this stage.

As it now stands, the residents of Porus and other communities in Manchester under curfew are on the horns of a dilemma.

It’s an unpleasant reality but it demonstrates to the country the disruptive nature of criminal behaviour. And that, we maintain, should give law-abiding Jamaicans cause to unite against criminals, give them no succour, and share information on their nefarious activities with law enforcers.

Regardless of criminals portraying themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods, all communities should shun them.

Jamaicans should not be subjected to the type of life that now exists in Porus.