Cabbies the main perps in sexual assault cases in W’land, say police
Published:Friday | January 10, 2025 | 12:09 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Superintendent Othneil Dobson, the police commander for the Westmoreland, has revealed that bike taxi and public passenger (PPV) vehicles operators are among the primary offenders in incidents of child sexual abuse and other sexual crimes in the parish.
Dobson, who was giving his monthly report at Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC), said that while the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) serious crimes report for 2024 showed a three per cent decrease in sexual assault nationally, the situation had not changed much in Westmoreland.
Based on the JCF’s preliminary statistics for 2024, Westmoreland recorded 32 incidents of rape – one fewer than in 2023.
“We continue to see a situation where a lot of the rapes are committed by families or close friends that person would leave their children with,” said Dobson, echoing sentiments shared in previous years.
Organisations such as the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) have raised alarms about this trend over the years, particularly as families often fail to cooperate in investigations, to protect relatives from criminal responsibility.
Dobson revealed that more than 90 per cent of sexual assault cases involve male perpetrators known to the victims, including biological relatives.
“So, when you hear these numbers, it’s not a serial rapist. It’s normally somebody that is very close to the family, and I would say they account for 90-odd per cent of the rapes reported in the parish,” the Westmoreland commander said.
Regarding the involvement of bike taxi and PPV operators, Dobson did not present specific statistics, but identified them as major offenders. He suggested that these operators exploit their opportunities to gain access to vulnerable children.
“The bike taxi man that carries home your child, and the taxi man who carry home your child, continues to be the major perpetrators,” he said.