Security beef-up at Trelawny’s Bend Down Market

WESTERN BUREAU:

Law enforcers have ramped up security for shoppers at Falmouth’s Bend Down Market as Christmas draws near.

That market day, Wednesday, sees hundreds of shoppers and vendors from all 14 parishes gathering at one location in Falmouth selling a wide variety of food, household items, clothing, liquor, jewellery, shoes, and appliances.

“Falmouth is a busy market town, particularly Wednesdays when we have our popular Bend Down Market, and on that day we have a large transit population passing through,” Superintendent Winston Milton, commanding officer for Trelawny, said.

“So we would advise shoppers and commuters to avoid carrying large sums of cash, where possible, and to use cards where they are accepted, and shoppers should avoid using ATMs which are located in lonely areas,” he added.

Milton indicated that police personnel have been pulled from all areas of administration and placed on the streets to ensure that crowded areas will be properly policed.

The parish commander revealed that the police have partnered with the military to target alleged violence producers. Searches will also be conducted at strategic checkpoints.

He warned persons who withdraw large sums of cash from banks to pay close attention to their surroundings and to be on the lookout for suspicious characters.

“At the banks around this time of the year, we always have unscrupulous persons milling around for persons making large withdrawals and trail them. We have had that here in Trelawny, and we have the police ready to assist these persons to provide security to their various destinations,” Milton said.

The superintendent advised that while police-military teams may hamper traffic flow in some communities, such intervention was in the best interest of the public in the lead-up to the holidays.

He also made an appeal to motorists travelling along the North Coast Highway to exercise care because of the risk of tragic crashes.

“We just want to implore motorists to ensure that they think safety prior to going on the road,” Milton said.

“Round about this time of the year, we generally have an uptick in numbers of serious and fatal motor vehicle crashes along our major corridors. We will have a presence out there, but we will advise you to ensure that you obey the rules of the road.”