Major police-military operation in St. James

There is now a massive police-military operation in the western city of Montego Bay, St. James.

Large numbers of security personnel have been deployed in several neighbourhoods, including Flanker, Norwood, Cambridge and Rose Heights.

Major Basil Jarrett, Civil Military Cooperation Officer for the Jamaica Defence Force, told RJR News that the operation was in response to the violence and general lawlessness in St James.

“WE are targeting a number of hotspots and known criminal hideouts in search of the gunmen, guns and ammunition that have been responsible for the current state of lawlessness down here,” he said, speaking from St. James.

There have been several brazen shooting incidents in the tourism capital, the latest on Tuesday in the vicinity of Sangster International Airport in which one person was shot dead and three others hospitalized.

Last year the St James police division registered the largest number of homicides in Jamaica at 335.

PM's signal

In a clear signal just ahead of the start of the St. James operation, Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Wednesday evening announced that the government would be embarking on a new round of firm and resolute measures to bring the escalating crime situation under control.

Mr. Holness, speaking in Mandeville, said the time had come to protect the country from the de-stabilizing effects of crime.

He hinted then that Montego Bay would be one of the main areas of focus in the enhanced security operations.

“I know that the people in Montego Bay especially are very distressed by what they see playing out on their streets,” he acknowledged.

He added that the measures to be adopted “will take great understanding and tolerance from the people, because the fight against crime is not just the police, is not just the government, it takes everyone to reach the point of understanding that the government must act and act in a resolute fashion.”

Residents' fears

On Wednesday during RJR’s Beyond the Headlines, Zaheer Clarke, Assistant Lecturer at the Montego Bay Community College, said residents of the second city had been expressing frustration, fear and anger at the state of affairs.

He said there was tremendous unease in the city that persons could get caught in the middle of  gangs at war.

“Persons are scared, persons don’t want to go anywhere; any leisure thing, I hardly do it downtown, it’s at my house or work, because persons are scared, you can get shot anywhere,” he said.

He noted that in some instances particular citizens might not be the ones targeted by feuding gangs but they end up being shot in the crossfire in these armed conflicts.