Old Harbour Bay business operators appeal for review of curfew hours

By Racquel Porter    

 

Residents and business operators in Old Harbour Bay, St. Catherine were left disappointed on Wednesday evening after a walkthrough and meeting with the police to voice their concerns was postponed.

 

This comes after two men were fatally shot during an alleged confrontation with the police on Terminal Road, earlier this month.

 

The aim of the walkthrough was to reassure residents that the shooting is being investigated and law and order will prevail.

 

Scores of people who were not aware the meeting had been postponed, turned up at the Old Harbour Bay Police Station Wednesday afternoon. But that did not stop them from convening their own meeting.

 

The police eventually joined in, but that meeting ended abruptly as there was a difference of opinion on the start time for the existing curfew in the area. 

 

"I am disappointed with the police. We asked for that meeting because we reached out to them based on the happenings in the community, and they disappoint us by not coming.... And they did not even send a representative to speak with us," lamented one business operator. 

 

"We are trying to build a relationship with these guys and they just let us seems (sic) like all of us down there are bad people, and we don't appreciate that, you understand. We are law abiding citizens and we want them to come and dialogue with us so that we can know what to do," she contended. 

 

Fried fish vendor, Sharon, said the 6 p.m. security measure has been severely affecting her livelihood. 

 

"Nobody nuh stop di police dem from weh dem waan fi do. Dem can do dem curfew...10 o'clock same way because dem deh pon di road a do dem curfew. But we as the likkle vendor a do we likkle business, dem a lock we in, a run we offa di streetside. Dem [can] patrol and pass we; we anuh bad people, we nah do nuting," the woman insisted. 

 

Another business operator, Suzette McLeod, who operates a grocery store, said she was not aware of the curfew until police and soldiers arrived at her establishment.

 

Ms. Mcleod, who employs four people, said she was forced to scale back her operations.

 

They are calling for a review of the curfew measures.