Thu | Mar 28, 2024

‘Business persons are living in hell’

Councillors raise concern over criminality impacting small businesses in St Bess

Published:Saturday | April 15, 2023 | 1:21 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Everton fisher, councillor for the Balaclava Division in St Elizabeth.
Everton fisher, councillor for the Balaclava Division in St Elizabeth.
Nadine Grant-Brown, deputy superintendent of police at the Black River Police Station in St Elizabeth, said there has been a 13 per cent decline in major crimes in St Elizabeth for the month of March, when compared with March 2022.
Nadine Grant-Brown, deputy superintendent of police at the Black River Police Station in St Elizabeth, said there has been a 13 per cent decline in major crimes in St Elizabeth for the month of March, when compared with March 2022.
Layton Smith, councillor for the Myersville Division in St Elizabeth.
Layton Smith, councillor for the Myersville Division in St Elizabeth.
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St Elizabeth councillors are calling for greater use of technology and an increase in police patrols to deter criminal elements preying on small business owners.

Speaking at the monthly meeting of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation on Thursday in response to statistics relating to criminal activity across the parish for the month of March, Councillor for the Balaclava division Everton Fisher expressed concern about an upsurge in robberies in Santa Cruz.

“It’s really sad, the way things are going on in Santa Cruz now,” he lamented, while referencing the attempted robbery incident at the Fedlyn Supermarket, commonly known as ‘Bun Dung’ involving five armed men.

Though the perpetrators were unsuccessful in their attempt, the supermarket’s supervisor was robbed of his licensed firearm.

Fisher said that based on his interactions with community members, it was apparent that they were “living in fear”.

“Business persons are living in hell. [They] don’t know when these attackers will come,” he said, adding that a store owner was robbed twice in a week.

He went on to say that towns across the island needed the surveillance services which JamaicaEye provides “because we can buy all the police cars and the ammunition and whatever we put in, but technology will have to be increased”.

He called for checks to be made on the cameras on the network and speedy repairs carried out on those which are not working.

Christopher Williams, councillor for the Santa Cruz division, appealed for frequent police patrols to be reinstated, which were previously seen in the southern and northern ends of the parish.

“I see where these break-ins and robberies [are] about to start to increase again,” he said, noting that lottery scammers were seeking out other means of making illicit gains.

Decline in major crimes

There has been a 13 per cent decline in major crimes in St Elizabeth for the month of March, with a total of eight incidents reported, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Nadine Grant-Brown disclosed during the municipal meeting.

She stated that within the previous year, between March 1 and March 31, there were 61 reports of major crimes.

The eight incidents seen for the month this year comprise two shootings, two robberies, one aggravated assault, and a seizure of a prohibited weapon.

While giving a statistical update, Grant-Brown referenced the March 8 murder of 30-year-old Mckion Dickens in the Greenfield district of Lacovia as one of the major crimes.

At approximately 8:45 a.m., Dickens was reportedly seated on a log, when a lone armed man, who travelled on foot, pounced on him. The perpetrator opened fire in Dickens’ direction. While attempting to flee from the danger, Dickens fell to the ground. He was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Black River Hospital.

“The killing of this person ... seems to be a culmination of several series of events in that police area, Lacovia,” she said, noting that the killing of Salomey Williams was reportedly by associates.

The DSP said that credible information and admission by Dickens had linked him to unabated lottery scamming at a home in the Dry Harbour district, which was “a fortress” with six bedrooms. Dickens also owned several farms across the areas of Mountain Side, Southfield, Lacovia and Greenfield, where he was killed.

“The lifestyle of this deceased is one that has raised several questions,” she said in relation to his riches and notoriety.

In another example, Grant-Brown highlighted what is believed to be the reprisal killing of Maurice ‘Shamar’ Hudson in Black River on March 9, at approximately 9 p.m., by unknown assailants.

He was found in his home with a large wound in the head. His front door was seen forced open and his body was found close by.

She said that information suggests that the attack may have been orchestrated by a member of the Speculation Gang, who had previously been charged with a number of offences.

She also noted the killing of Audley Smellie in Dry Harbour on March 18.

As of March 31, 2023, in comparison to the same period in 2022, there has been a 38 per cent increase in murders in the parish.

The parish recorded five shootings in the first three months of 2022 and seven over the corresponding period in 2023.

Aggravated assault increased by six, totalling nine incidents, this year.

For robberies, there was a 15 per cent decrease, with 17 incidents reported, down from the 20 recorded last year.

No acts of larceny were reported.

DSP Grant-Brown stated that the police continued to monitor hotspots across the parish.

For Spring Park, Black River, where there were six murders and two shooting incidents, Grant-Brown noted that the gangs in the area might challenge each other at any given time, since the fatal shooting of three members by the police after they were engaged in a shootout.

Cardinal searches of 18 houses were carried out in the Oxford district on Tuesday as the cops looked for weapons and ammunition said to be in the possession of alleged members of the Speculation Gang. Eight people were taken into custody after two 9-millimetre cartridges, 120 pounds of marijuana, a motorcycle, two fishing guns, a cash counting machine and gaming machine parts were seized.

“I believe that we are really living in fear and our citizens are fast losing hope,” said Councillor Layton Smith of the Myersville Division.

Grant-Brown assured the members of the meeting that they would witness an increased police presence as the police division has recently gained new members to the force and that they continued to be assisted by the Jamaica Defence Force.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com