President of the Trelawny Chapter of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica Kenneth Grant has called for the leadership of the Area One Police Division and Commissioner of Police Major Anthony Anderson to immediately address the shortage of police personnel and other resources in the parish.

"Since the implementation of the Zone of Special Operation and the State of Public Emergency in St James the already under staff Trelawny Police Division has had to provide personnel to assist with manning check-points along the borders with St James and assist with patrols within St James,” Grant told The Gleaner.

He said that this as left “several rural police stations in Trelawny without the required manpower to even do regular patrols,” he added.

Noting that there have been three gun-related killings in the parish and a case of wounding with intent involving a firearm between Thursday and Saturday of last week, Grant said that this highlights the need for more police personnel in the parish.

Grant appealed to the police commissioner to deploy new cops to the parish from the batch of recruits who are to graduate later this month.

He argued that as a country Jamaicans must act cohesively and decisively against the upsurge of gun violence which he said is a threat to the safety of citizens and visitors.

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