CTL moves against 'light' thieves

Ainsley Walters, Gleaner Writer

CAYMANAS Track Limited on Tuesday continued its thrust to reduce its hefty electricity bill and potential fire hazard by disconnecting dozens of illegal electrical connections to the racetrack.

Led by CTL security boss Jason McKay, and assisted by police personnel from the St Catherine South Division, it was the second such operation in a week.

Residents extracting electricity from Caymanas Park were first jolted last week Wednesday when the team disconnected more than 100 illegal connections.

Backstretch workers were threatened in the aftermath, forcing McKay to issue a stern warning to disgruntled residents.

The situation has been a troubling one for CTL because it is solely responsible to protect its power lines.

"It's not like they are extracting light from the Jamaica Public Service, who would come in and do their disconnections and the law called in. It's basically a case of a neighbour stealing light from another," McKay explained.

The residents, all from informal communities bordering Caymanas Park, claim they have no other way to get electricity because JPS won't give them meters.

However, many of these dwellings, some single-room shacks, fail to meet standards for metering.

Criminal gangs

The settlement bordering the racetrack has, over the years, gained a notorious reputation of being an enclave for organised criminal gangs.

This resulted in numerous clashes involving the McKay-led racetrack security personnel. Things came to a head in 2005 with the murder of security guard Edward Green.

The no-nonsense approach of McKay's team has, over the years, angered residents of these communities who were used to entering the racetrack at will. The illegal extraction of electricity, he said, is the latest beef.

"As they put them up, we're going to take them down. This can't go on. It has to be stopped," he said.