Tactical thrust
60 specially trained police officers to be deployed for crime fight in western Jamaica
Published:Friday | June 10, 2022 | 12:08 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU
THE JAMAICA Constabulary Force (JCF) is set to pump additional resources into the troubled police divisions in western Jamaica, which has been the most murderous region in Jamaica over the past 10 years.
Driven by the gun-for-drugs trade since 2001 and followed by the lucrative US$1-billion lottery scam scheme, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland and Trelawny have been overrun by non-stop bloodletting, despite efforts to restore law and order.
The police have so far recorded 634 murders between January 1 and June 6 this year. That is an increase of 32 more murders when compared to 602 cases committed in the corresponding period of 2021, 76 per cent of which are as a result of internal gang feuds.
The Area One Division accounts for 205 of those murders, as St James leads with 104, followed by Westmoreland, 64, Hanover 18 and Trelawny with 19.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson revealed that a specialised team of police officers will be mandated to target the main perpetrators of gang violence, apprehend gangsters and dismantle their networks.
“There are 60 members (police) currently under advanced tactical training, ahead of being deployed to Area One. This will significantly boost our capacity to respond to the challenges we are having in the western divisions,” Anderson said.
“In order to counter criminal activity, we require highly trained, highly mobile, tactically prepared police to operate in many of our urban spaces. We are recruiting more of this type of officers,” he continued.
The JCF’s Department of Weapons and Tactical Training (DWTT) came into existence in October 2006, for officers to have specialised responsibility for firearms and tactical training. Its mandate is to provide the force’s law enforcement professionals with tactical knowledge and expertise to protect the life, property and dignity of all.
It is the premier weapons and tactical training department delivering high-quality programmes customised to the needs of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. The unit specialises in firearms training, field craft, urban tactical training, operations support team training, local swats, and less-lethal training, and provides police divisions with operational support and guidance.
In seeking to assure the nation that police have not retreated, Commissioner Anderson said the force is taking meaningful steps towards addressing specific challenges which residents are facing in western Jamaica, including boasting the police’s quick response team in St James. He noted that places are also advanced for the establishment of similar teams in Hanover, Westmoreland and Trelawny.
According to him, these officers are part of an ongoing effort to increase the human resource capabilities of the JCF, to prevent crime, where necessary, and respond to emergencies.
“Last financial year, we recruited 1,260 (officers) and this year we are looking at recruiting a similar number. We’re increasing not only the numbers, but the quality of these officers,” said Anderson.