Hanover police to get tougher on gunmen

Western Bureau:

With five murders and numerous reported cases of shooting, Superintendent Sharon Beeput, the police commander for Hanover, says the police in the parish will be stepping up their efforts to put an end to the rampant lawlessness which is undermining the police’s effort to make the parish safe.

While delivering her report at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), Beeput admitted that the crime situation in the parish is ‘out of sync’ with her desire to make the parish safe, and that she intends to use every tool at her disposal to end the lawlessness.

“It’s never good for me to report on any situation such as murders, because that is something that we do not want to hear about, but it is actually happening, and we (the police) have to take some drastic action,” said Beeput. “So, when the drastic actions are taken, I do not want you people to be uncomfortable, I want you all to work with the police because, based on all that I am going to report on here, there will be actions coming. I am not here to say what type of actions, as my superiors will do that.”

Beeput went on to name Green Island, Cauldwell, Hopewell, McQuarry, and Sandy Bay as the communities that are of paramount concern as it relates to rampant criminality. She said that, at present, the police are maintaining a strong presence in those areas, and she is urging law-abiding citizens to support the efforts of law enforcement.

“Please help us, because we need to pick out those persons who are causing the issues, and we (the police) are going to deal with them,” promised Beeput. “We have arrested a number of persons who were allegedly involved in some of the incidents.”

Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels, who is the chairman of the HMC, and his deputy, Andria Dehaney-Grant, both made calls for the Police High Command to beef up the number of police personnel in the parish to boost their capacity to go after the criminals.

“It is like a competition going on here with the shootings in this parish,” said Samuels. “I am so embarrassed and ashamed to know that one of the safest divisions in the parish is losing its title as the safest place to be,” said Samuels, regarding the Cauldwell division which he represents as councillor.