Editors’ Forum | Informers keeping each other safe in Bushy Park
Published:Friday | January 19, 2018 | 12:00 AMJodi-Ann Gilpin
Last year, Clarendon had the dubious distinction of finishing second on the list of most murderous police division in the island and the parish has started 2018 with more bloodletting.
But Bushy Park, which is in the vicinity of the parish capital, May Pen, has had a different experience and the residents there plan to keep it that way by being informers.
Vivian Allen, president of the Bushy Park Benevolent Society in Clarendon said that while there is a general concern about the criminal activities in the parish, his neighbours are looking out for each other in an effort to stop the crime from reaching their door steps.
"We are informers at Bushy Park," said Allen during a Gleaner Editors' Forum at a Juci Patties outlet in May Pen last Thursday.
"I must boast that I am living in a crime free community, that is Bushy Park. We are five years old and we have had one break in, one bicycle was stolen and we dealt with it. We have an active benevolent society and we look out for each other," said Allen.
He added, "My dad is not living there and he came to look for me and I got four phone calls saying that 'a pickup is by your gate and I know you are out working'. Even if we are not friends, somebody will find somebody to inform the person if something is out of the ordinary, that's how we do it at Bushy Park," added Allen.
There were eight reported murders in Clarendon up to the start of last week. This was six more than the corresponding period last year when the parish ended with a reported 168 killings.