MANDEVILLE, Manchester – Residents of Fairbanks Park in this south-central town are moving to keep criminals out of their community with Tuesday’s launch of a neighbourhood watch there.

The move has been commended by political and security leaders.

Head of the Manchester police, Deputy Superintendent Carey Duncan, said the community’s goal fits into his optimism of making Manchester a safe parish.

“When I took on the role as leader [of the division] I committed to my commissioner of police that it is undoubtedly a fact that Manchester is the coolest parish in Jamaica and my objective was to make it the safest parish in Jamaica,” he said at Tuesday’s launch.

“I will say to you that we are well on our way in achieving that objective. Last year we had some challenges in the parish and strategically we had some things in place and coming into this year in a position to boast that Manchester now is seeing the best first quarter in terms of crime reduction in over 20 years,” said Duncan.

“We are seeing a 60 per cent decline in our murders and overall a 38 per cent decline in our major crimes,” said Duncan.

President of the National Neighbourhood Watch Council Opal Davis encouraged the residents in Fairbanks Park not to let the community safety group become inactive.

“Whatever it takes, please keep this watch alive; it is too important for us to just make Jamaica just go so. We have to bring things back together. We have to be neighbours. We have to be neighbourly,” she said.

“We are the majority. They [criminals] are the minority, and we have to stamp our mark and say Jamaica belongs to us, and the safety and the security that is our mission and business. We must commit to the safety and security of our community,” she added.

Member of Parliament for Manchester North Western Mikael Phillips also lauded the efforts of the residents.

“I want to congratulate the Fairbanks community for seeing the importance of your community and community life in starting this community watch group, and we have to find a way in how it is that we maintain them now than just starting them and after a short while they no longer have the strength that they started with,” he said.

He urged residents to continue restoring peace in Manchester, while commending the police for a reduction in crime.

“We have to take back the parish of Manchester. The Manchester that we are a part of now is not the Manchester that I grew up and knew. The Manchester where you could sleep with your windows and doors open without any fear, you knew your neighbour, you never have to worry if you left your hose outside, if you are going to wake up in the morning and see it,” he said.

“I want to commend the police for the reduction in the serious crime numbers, because we were arguing about the crime rate. They have now responded and we have to commend you for that response. Too many communities are stigmatised, and the majority of those living in Manchester are law-abiding citizens,” he added.

“I want to commend the Fairbanks Park community, the residents, and your association in maintaining this park, because too often there are green spaces that are left for communities and they are underutilised because they are not maintained, and because of your efforts in discussion with your president we will have a more fulsome discussion in how it is that we can develop this park in a proper park for the residents of Fairbanks. So this year out of the constituency development fund we will start the fencing of it,” Phillips said.

“We want to put up the first of many gazebos and we will start the walking trail around the park itself,” added Phillips.

Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell committed $250,000 towards the upkeep of the community’s park.