Cops shot in St Catherine North - Less than a day after national security minister announces crime reduction
Published:Sunday | April 22, 2018 | 12:00 AMJason Cross/Gleaner Writer
A corporal and a constable attached to the Shady Grove Police Station in St Catherine North were shot and injured by gunmen early yesterday morning while responding to a robbery in the area.
The incident occurred less than 24 hours after National Security Minister Horace Chang toured sections of the division, announcing a reduction in crime since the declaration of a state of public emergency there last month.
Reports from the Corporate Communications Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force are that both lawmen were responding to a robbery when they came under heavy fire from gunmen.
They were taken to hospital, where the constable was treated and released. However, his colleague had to undergo surgery and is still in hospital. Their names were not released.
While speaking with the Jamaica Information Service on Saturday, during a tour of St Catherine North, Chang applauded the police for restoring peace and rebuilding trust with citizens.
"We really appreciate the work being done and the effort that has gone into bringing results. We can't keep the state of emergency forever, but when we come out of it, we hope we would have established a foundation we can build on," Chang said.
The minister said that he met with persons locked up under the state of emergency who he said were not happy being detained, but they had some level of understanding of what the Government was trying to achieve.
"Discussions with the young men were not hostile. Naturally, they would like to get back on the road, but they understand that we had to take steps to cauterise criminal activities," he said.