Chambers: Tips from citizens tighten dragnet on wanted men
Published:Wednesday | February 16, 2022 | 12:09 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Residents are increasingly offering information that has bolstered the investigative and intelligence-gathering capacity of the security forces, putting criminals on the back foot, says Assistant Commissioner of Police Clifford Chambers, head of Area One.
This follows the surrender of Devani Bennett, also known as ‘Santa’, on Monday morning following an appeal by the police, behind claims by the lawmen that Bennett, along with Moses ‘Satan’ Ramsey, and Andre ‘Danny’ Hinds, shot at them during a covert operation in Bluefields, Westmoreland, last Saturday.
“What we realise is that the public is now growing tired of these people who are holding their communities at ransom. They have now become frustrated out of fear and a desire for freedom,” Chambers said.
“The general public wants to see and interact with the police, and that means they do not always want to see us in operational tactical mode.”
Hinds was fatally shot during the operation, but Bennett and Ramsay escaped.
Bennett, who was accompanied by a minister of religion and is associated with the notorious Delete Gang from ‘Russia’, was wanted for the murder of Clovis Forrester, committed on November 30, 2021, in Bluefields.
Ramsey was wanted for two cases of shooting with intent and one case of wounding with intent. He was taken in by his attorney.
According to Chambers, the men were being pursued by the newly formed Joint Anti-Gang Task Force.
The assistant commissioner is also urging other persons named on the 26-man wanted list within Area One to surrender.
“If you know that you are wanted, it’s best for you to come in, so that we can deal with things in a way that lives are not lost,” Chambers said in a Gleaner interview.
“We have trained tactical personnel, who are capable of bringing a fight to you if you choose to make that choice to take us on,” he added.
Chambers said that since the identities of 26 wanted men in the area were published three weeks ago, there is greater partnership with the police and the wider population.
Already, the police say the month-old zone of special operations (ZOSO), which is designed to displace criminal gangs operating in Westmoreland, is bearing fruit.
The ZOSO in the parish capital, Savanna-la-Mar, covers the troubled neighbourhoods of Russia, Dexter Street, and Dalling Street, and a significant swathe of the business community.
“Since the ZOSO in Westmoreland, we are bridging a lot of gaps; we are making bridges as it relates to our interaction with the public,” Chambers said.
“Not only that, but the ease at which the public is able to interact and communicate with us has improved immensely.”