WE empathise with the business community in Spanish Town on reading comments by Mr Dennis Robotham at the recent monthly meeting of the St Catherine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mr Robotham, the long-serving president of the chamber and who has been there before, lamented the state of the town and the deleterious effect on business.

Essentially, Spanish Town does not benefit from heavy commercial activity late evening into night, mostly due to crime. Add to that consumers’ increasing migration to online shopping, as well as the absence of tourist traffic, and you get a sense of the tough environment in which businesses are trying to survive.

“We’re looking at ways to reintroduce activity into the heart of Spanish Town, especially in the evenings,” Mr Robotham said. “We cannot allow the town to die after 5:00 pm. We need foot traffic, nightlife and safety — because without those we’re just giving up the space.”

The chamber hopes to reposition Spanish Town as a vibrant commercial and cultural hub with extended opening hours, cultural night markets, and weekend entertainment events. But, as the report in last Friday’s Jamaica Observer pointed out, that vision continues to be stymied by poor infrastructure, persistent crime, and what many regard as decades of political neglect.

We believe crime to be the biggest bugbear as rival One Order and Klansman gangsters have, for years, held Spanish Town under siege, extorting businesses, waging deadly battles for turf, and even executing those who resist their demands.

Of significance though, the constabulary’s latest crime statistics for the St Catherine North Police Division, in which Spanish Town sits, show a 14.3 per cent reduction in murders and a four per cent decrease in shootings between January 1 and April 26, 2025 compared to the same period last year.

Clearly, the police are making gains in combating criminals in Spanish Town, as is the case in the wider Jamaica. However, much more work is needed. There are still too many individuals roaming freely — intent on killing, maiming, robbing and terrorising.

The chamber is keen on having Spanish Town capitalise on its rich history, and as such has called for a renewed push to establish the town as a heritage destination.

That has long been a goal of successive governments, but outside of the odd tour bus visit, that plan has not materialised.

There is great merit in seeking to develop the historic town, Jamaica’s first capital, St Jago de la Vega — established by Spanish colonisers close to 500 years ago — as a destination of high value.

The architecture of its oldest buildings is just one feature that could easily attract visitors.

For instance the former town centre, now known as Emancipation Square, consists of the old courthouse built in 1819; the old House of Assembly constructed in 1762; Rodney’s Memorial, now Jamaica Archives; and the shell of the old King’s House.

Tours of those buildings — coupled with narration of historic events including the trial and conviction in 1720 of pirate Calico Jack Rackham, whose crew included female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read — could be developed as vibrant attractions.

But all that depends on ridding the town of gangsters and creating a safe environment for locals and visitors.

Mr Robotham, therefore, is absolutely correct in saying: “If we sit back and do nothing we’ll watch our commercial districts fade out.”