Russell: Clarendon no safe haven for criminals
Published:Saturday | April 22, 2023 | 1:14 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Despite a 62.5 per cent increase in murders in Clarendon up to March 31, the top cop says the central parish is no haven for criminals.
Acting Senior Superintendent Carlos Russell, head of the Clarendon Police Division, said his team is intent on riding the parish of hoodlums.
Speaking earlier this week, he noted that the work of sleuths has led to the disruption of some major gangs in the parish, disclosing that some alleged gang members are in custody, while others were killed in confrontations with the police.
“We will continue to target the known criminals within the space. Clarendon – or May Pen (the parish capital) – is no safe place for any criminals, and we'll continue to go very hard at them to ensure that the parish is safe, and persons can move around and do their business in a safe way,” said Russell.
The top cop named Denbigh, Palmers Cross and Toll Gate as the main trouble spots, but said the police are “on top of what is happening”.
He added that operational activities have been ramped up in the areas and results are already been seen.
“Since the upsurge [in crime in these areas], we have made some significant arrests of persons who are involved in the activities, and we have some persons who will be arrested soon, so we believe that we will see a decrease in those [criminal] activities soon,” Russell said confidently.
He noted a worrying trend that a high percentage of violent criminals in the parish are youth.
“The data has shown ... it's mostly young youths we have in custody. They have always been the persons involved in most of these activities,” said the commanding officer, who appealed to residents to assist the police in reducing crime in the space.
“We want to implore the good citizens of Clarendon to continue working with us the police by providing us with the necessary information to carry out our operations. We know people want to see their communities safe, and for communities to be safe, they will have to work with us,” said Russell.
Between January 1 and March 31, there were 26 murders in the parish – 10 more than over the corresponding period in 2022. Shootings have also climbed by 30 per cent, moving from 10 over the same period last year to 13 in 2023. Rapes, robberies and break-ins registered double-digit percentage falls year on year.