Three suspects held in Westmoreland robbery rampage

WESTERN BUREAU:

THREE PERSONS who are strongly believed to be linked to a syndicate of criminals responsible for a recent spate of robberies and murders in Westmoreland are now in custody.

Last Friday, as business owners, staff and customers cowered with fear for their lives following the string of robberies, shootings, and a murder in the business districts of Grange Hill, Little London, and Negril, a police dragnet caught the suspects in Little London.

“We were able to intercept three motor vehicles ... . Those persons are still in custody as part of the investigation into the spate of incidents that have been taking place,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Adrian Hamilton, who heads the operations portfolio in the Westmoreland Police Division.

Hamilton, who is also doubling up as acting commander of the police division, gave the update during a meeting with members of the business community at the Negril Tree House late Sunday to allay fears and strategise workable solutions to chaos.

"Those persons (suspects) have addresses in Montego Bay, and we understand that they were in the space scouting it out,” the senior police officer said. “The call came in to us saying these were suspicious vehicles and men who went to an establishment, apparently attempting to scout it out as part of the whole robbery spree.”

Hamilton noted that last Thursday, another set of criminals attempted to rob another supermarket in Little London and eluded a police-military patrol team in the Spring Gardens area of Negril.

While he did not divulge much, the acting police commander said the criminal syndicate causing the mayhem in the parish has forged a bond with crooks from other police divisions.

“There are criminals within the space, both in Grange Hill and elsewhere, and there are some who we believe are from as far as St Elizabeth,” Hamilton stated.

“We are seeing where these young men, motivated by greed and heartlessness, are going around ... to commit these robberies and murders within the space,” Hamilton observed, noting that the police are working to restore calm.

They have also beefed up the personnel within Zone Four, which covers the Negril and Little London police areas.

Hamilton noted that while most of the robberies are occurring in Grange Hill, Little London, and Negril, "eight of the 10 station district stations [in the Westmoreland Police Division] are being inundated with these kinds of activities".

Westmoreland Western Member of Parliament Morland Wilson expressed anxiety over the situation.

“We have seen where people, especially small microenterprises, have reached out because they are unable to afford to pay for security guards or the additional cost that may be incurred in putting in closed-circuit television systems, so they have opted to close their businesses early, and that within itself has caused a tremendous downturn in the commercial activities that are happening in these small towns,” he noted.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com