AN abandoned playing field in the community of 100 Lane in St Andrew is to be cleared and reopened under a law enforcement initiative aimed at promoting peace and encouraging positive community engagement in the long-troubled area.

Located just minutes away from the community’s entrance off Red Hills Road, the playing field — which once served as a common ground for residents, particularly children — was abandoned because of deadly clashes involving gangsters from 100 Lane and the nearby Park Lane.

But now the police are adamant that they are taking the community back from the gangsters and ensuring that normalcy returns to the area.

Head of the St Andrew North Police Division, Superintendent Randy Sweeney told the Jamaica Observer that the initiative marks a transition into a new phase aimed at sustaining the peace currently being experienced in the area.

“We have been utilising other operational activities, such as our curfew, but even that might not be sustainable if we don’t have other interventions — and when we talk about interventions we talk about sports, counselling, even avenues for these persons to get work. So a part of that next phase of our activity is to build that relationship between the two communities so they can live in harmony,” said Sweeney.

A curfew was first imposed in the area after the murder of 50-year-old Janet Baker in a drive-by shooting at Park Lane on November 30, 2025. The police have since introduced other security measures to reduce criminal activity and maintain public order in both communities.

For Sweeney, consistent engagement between the police and citizens can help maintain the peace by building trust that fosters better relationships through regular interaction.

“The police are working with other stakeholders, and this will help to move into the different phase that we are talking about, building that trust and lasting relationship with the police or improving on it,” said Sweeney.

“We want to clear the field so that we can play football and have other engagements. I am also looking at engaging other entities to see how best we can have a football competition in short order,” Sweeney added.

He said the police will be working with Government and non-government organisations to stage the football competition, with matches being played while the curfew remains in place.

According to Sweeney, the time when matches will be played is important, and they will be played under the watchful eyes of the police.

“The discussion we are having with them now is, once we set that play field we are thinking about having a more structured approach where we know the time and the days in which they will be playing so that we can have our officers in that immediate vicinity. It will happen in the evening hours so as the night falls then we can enforce the curfew a little stricter,” he explained.

“I am expecting that the levelling of the area and the clearing of the debris should be completed soon. After that I will make an assessment. I am also actively in the process of acquiring some goalposts, nets and footballs to facilitate the playing of the matches,” added Sweeney.

A female resident of 100 Lane speaks with Superintendent Randy Sweeney, head of the St Andrew North Police Division, and Inspector Hillary Jones (right), territory officer, Police Safety and Community Branch, during a police walk-through of 100 and Park lanes off Red Hills Road recently. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)