MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Against the backdrop of discussions with community leaders in Greenvale, head of the Manchester police Deputy Superintendent Odean Dennis says the nightly curfew in the troubled area will be lifted on Thursday with the hope that it remains free of major crimes.

“As of tomorrow (Thursday) we will not be having the curfew element of the measures we have put in place in the community. We have assessed the situation and to the best of the knowledge that we have gained… we are of the belief that the risk has been reduced to a level now where the curfew element can be lifted,” he said Wednesday evening at a meeting with residents at the Greenvale community centre.

He cautioned residents that the curfew will remain lifted only if peace is maintained continuously.

“However, here comes the warning. The [residents in the] community need to rally around each other and as best as possible try to prevent these things from happening, so if you hear anything that the police has not heard pass it on quickly to us, so we can put measures in place and don’t believe for one minute that we will not resort to re-instituting the curfews if that is found to be necessary at any given time in the near future,” he said.

A nightly curfew was imposed in Greenvale last week Monday, two days after a man was shot in the face while sitting in a vehicle in a section of the community. The man was hospitalised following that incident.

— Kasey Williams

(Video: Kasey Williams)