Three wanted men among 49 arrested in St James
Published:Saturday | April 16, 2022 | 12:10 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Three wanted men were among 49 persons arrested by the St James police in a recent 14-day surge operation across the parish and several slapped with charges, including murder, shooting and rape.
“We saw an increase in serious crimes over the past two weeks, and our response was in the form of a surge operation,” Senior Superintendent Vernon Ellis, who heads the St James Police Division, told The Gleaner yesterday.
The operation, which took place between March 29 and April 12, was supported by various arms of the police force and the Jamaica Defence Force.
The three wanted men – 32-year-old shop owner Keron ‘Fox’ Johnson, 25-year-old farmer Oshane Poyser, and 35-year-old swimming instructor Kenya Deran Robinson – turned themselves in on March 30 as the operation intensified, Ellis said.
Johnson, who is of Bogue, St James, and Spanish Town, St Catherine, addresses, has been charged with the February 28 murder of Kadean Graham in Anchovy, St James. Poyser, of Kensington in Welcome Hall, St James, was charged with the May 28, 2021 murder of Marvin Clayton, who was killed along William Street in Montego Bay, while Robinson is charged with the March 10 murder of Kristoff Hibbert along the Jimmy Cliff Boulevard in Montego Bay.
Thirty other persons were also charged with various offences. Twelve were booked for shooting; seven for murder; six for rape; four for robbery; and one for burglary.
Three illegal firearms and 64 rounds of ammunition were also seized.
Ellis credited the success of the police operation to several factors, including collaborations with the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) and members of the wider St James community.
“I want to thank our citizens for the support, and most of all, the MBCCI, for always standing there with us, the law enforcement team, in the collective security effort to make this parish a safer place,” said Ellis.
St James has recorded 71 murders between January 1 and April 9 this year, a substantial increase from the 49 murders seen over the corresponding period in 2021.
MBCCI President Janet Silvera noted the impact of the chamber’s recent security summit, which examined the crime situation in the parish.
“Obviously, when we come together as a city, we achieve successes that can be long-lasting and sustainable. Our collective security summit that we had recently has literally served as an empowerment to several facets of the city, and because it is not just a one-time thing, but one that we plan to ensure is sustainable, we know that it will have impact and it will encourage others to become involved in crime-fighting in the city of Montego Bay and the parish of St James,” said Silvera.
“People have realised that the security forces cannot do it alone, and a minister of national security cannot do it alone. Neither can a commissioner of police. Until we come together and unite as a nation, then we will not be able to fight that monster that is called crime,” she added.