Top cop determined to keep Trelawny safe

Western Bureau:

Despite ending 2017 as easily the most peaceful of the four western parishes, the police hierarchy in Trelawny will not be resting on its laurels this year and has announced a three-prong crime-fighting strategy to ensure that the parish remains as safe as possible.

In outlining the crime-fighting plans for the parish, Superintendent Dwight Powell, who took command of the Trelawny division last November, listed operational driven activities, improved criminal investigative capacity and a comprehensive community policing drive as the three main pillars to be utilised.

"You will be seeing more police presence, especially in the public spaces and on the main arterial roads," said a confident Powell. "We will also be ramping up our investigative capabilities. Investigation is a critical element to our crime reduction plan for the parish."

While the western region had well over 500 murders last year, Trelawny registered 21, which is significantly less than St James (335), Westmoreland (147) and Hanover (61). However, the new year is off to an undesirable start with two murders over last weekend.

PARTNERING WITH RESIDENTS

However, through the announced plans, Powell is determined not to allow neither home grown or migrating criminals to establish any major foothold in the parish and as a consequence, he is seeking to have residents become partners in the bid to keep their communities safe.

"We will be looking at community based policing," said Powell. "We will be partnering with other state agencies and the citizens in the parish with a view of making the parish of Trelawny as safe as is humanly possible."

In the two murders committed in Trelawny to date, an unidentified man was shot and killed in the Gravel Hill area of Duanvale by unknown assailants at approximately 11:00 a.m. on Saturday while shortly after 4:00 a.m., on Sunday morning, thugs posing as policemen shot and killed 24-year-old Jonathan 'Ratty' Crossdale at his Bounty Hall home.

... 'MI READY FI BECOME POLICE INFORMER'

While the 'informer fi dead culture' might be a deterrent to some resident, an elderly resident of Falmouth told The Gleaner yesterday that he is ready to support the police in their efforts to keep the parish free of migrating criminals.

"Mi ready fe become a police informer, me nuh want criminal mash up Falmouth like how dem mash up Montego Bay," the man said. "Nobody can't buy mi out ... me nuh need no scamming money, mi will satisfy with de likkle wha mi have."