Manchester cops to monitor lotto outlets, cash businesses for Xmas
Published:Thursday | December 23, 2021 | 12:11 AMTamara Bailey/Gleaner Writer
MANDEVILLE, Manchester:
There will be increased police presence at gaming outlets and other high-risk businesses to deter criminals as Christmas nears.
That move is aimed at heading off the threat of robberies which traditionally spike at year end.
Lottery giant Supreme Ventures Limited has sought assistance from the police to bolster its owns security arrangements.
“We have assured them that we will be out in greater numbers checking on their places, just as how we check on other facilities for the Yuletide season,” Superintendent Lloyd Darby, commander of the Manchester Police Division, told The Gleaner on Wednesday.
“We are increasing patrols for all financial institutions and all business places because the risk of robbery increases whenever the Yuletide season comes around.”
Darby disclosed that police personnel are usually reassigned from administrative duty at Christmas and redeployed to boost manpower on the roads.
“Some are in plain clothes, jeans, cut-up (distressed) clothing, and others are uniformed.”
The Manchester police chief said the constabulary was also prioritising petrol stations, remittance outlets and other financial institutions, and stores that handle large volumes of cash.
Chinese merchants are among those high-risk groups.
Stafford Haughton, who runs a remittance outlet at his Haughton’s Pharmacy operation, is heartened by the increased efforts during the busy shopping period.
“The police patrol can’t be too much. It needs to be 24/7, but they don’t have the vehicles, very few of them are on night patrol. But if they are going to make an effort for the Christmas to put more people out there, we will certainly appreciate it,” he said.
Jamaicans are being reminded that the services of the police are free of cost and should be utilised, where possible, for protection during the transfer of money or other property.