Recent killings heighten concerns despite fall in overall murder figures
Published:Wednesday | October 11, 2023 | 12:08 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
The encouraging decline in murders, as reported by the authorities in St Catherine, has failed to instill confidence in Dennis Robotham, president of the St Catherine Chamber of Commerce.
Equally, Bishop Rowan Edwards, convener of the annual One Thousand Persons’ March for Peace in St Catherine, while commending the efforts of the police, said the clear-up rate for murders must improve to deter offenders.
Both men were speaking against the background of another double murder that rocked the parish on Tuesday in which two men were gunned down about 8:45 Tuesday morning on Young Street in Spanish Town. They were attacked by gunmen while loading buses that ply the Spanish Town to Kingston route.
The latest data, ending in September, has shown a significant reduction in murder rates, with the St Catherine North Police Division experiencing a 26.5 per cent decrease, and the South Division recording a 20.5 per cent drop compared to the similar period last year.
But, while these statistics suggest a positive trend, the parish has recently been shaken by a series of high-profile murders, leading to heightened concerns in the local business and church communities.
The frequent and heinous nature of recent killings has prompted Robotham to express deep concern about the safety and security of the community.
NEED TO ADDRESS CRIME
“The recent wave of violence has underscored the need for ongoing efforts to address crime and ensure the safety of residents in the parish,” he said.
“Despite the overall reduction in murder rates in the North and South divisions, the recent spike in violent incidents reminds the community that more work needs to be done to maintain a safe and secure environment for all its residents and to give a sense of calm to business leaders in the parish.”
The Chamber president questioned the success rate of the police getting the guns off the streets and suggested that there must be some improvement in this area.
He said the fear factor among the business community has heightened because of the killings and the only way to instill confidence is for the police to apprehend the offenders who are known to persons in the communities.
Robotham also questioned the effectiveness of the surveillance cameras that have been installed in Spanish Town.
“Are these functional or are they just for show? Because they don’t seem to be assisting the police in solving these murders,” he asserted.
Edwards said that, if the police could increase the clear-up rate, it would send a strong message that, if they commit murders, they will be caught.
“The police are trying to do their thing but it doesn’t seem like what they are doing is helping to catch the murderers because the numbers are showing that there is only 15 per cent clear-up rate out there,” said Edwards.
“Whatever is happening, the criminals seem to be eluding the police. They are doing things in a technical way and the police don’t seem to be able to find them.”
Edwards said this was of concern and something must be done to change it.
RECENT WAVE OF VIOLENCE IN ST CATHERINE
-The unsettling wave of violence in St Catherine started in August with two persons being killed in Gregory Park, when houses were firebombed, resulting in the deaths of a taxi driver, who was shot by the arsonists, and an elderly woman who later succumbed to injuries sustained in the blaze at her home in the month of August.
- This series of events was followed by a quadruple murder in Chinatown, Central Village in St Catherine in September. The tragedy deepened with a triple murder involving a husband, wife, and their 16-year-old son in the Waterloo district of Spanish Town. Soon after, there was another quadruple murder in Riversdale, St Catherine, that sent shock waves through the community.
- The violence persisted with a double murder in McCooks Pen a week ago, which was followed up with Tuesday’s double murder on Young Street in Spanish Town. Also added to the tally were the July murder of Ainsley Parkins, the People’s National Party councillor for the Southboro division; the discovery of the body of a man, who had been shot on Cumberland Road in Spanish Town; and the killing of a man while he sat in a barber’s chair in Kitson Town last week.
-Just last Friday, G.C. Foster College Vice Principal Gibbs Williams was murdered in Portmore.