Jones Town lauds SSP McGregor
Published:Saturday | February 15, 2014 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I want to use this opportunity, on behalf of the residents of the Jones Town community, to publicly thank Senior Superintendent of Police Steve McGregor for his quick response in attending our emergency community meeting, held on January 31, 2014 at the Jones Town Primary School, in response to a murder, rape and child abuse allegedly perpetrated by criminals from west Kingston communities.
The mannerism of the DSP at the meeting was commendable and replicated, especially in these troubled inner-city times. He demonstrated to the meeting that community policing can work, and that hard policing can be reserved for those who, after several warnings, consistently refuse to keep their neighbourhood safe.
He introduced the 9 p.m. curfew and monitoring system to the plenary, and the community residents were more than happy for the strategy, that they wanted implementation the same night of the meeting. The Jones Town community and political team that was present at the meeting want the public, and especially the wider communities of west Kingston, to know that their partnership with the police is mainly for the purpose of:
1. Bringing the perpetrators of the crime to justice.
2. Ensuring that criminal elements displaying beastly behaviour such as murders, sexual immorality and robberies be tamed and/or handed over to the police. Killing them will multiply the problem. They must be chained in a village by themselves and given training and land for farming to feed themselves and their families. They must be given an equal opportunity to recognise their wrong and change. This is the spirit of restorative justice.
3. Ensuring that the murder that was committed in January be the first and only murder to be committed in the community of Jones Town for the year 2014,with the help of the Almighty.
4. Ensuring that the stigma attached to the Jones Town community be changed as we evolve into a model community, with the help of the Almighty. The community recognises that the job will not be an easy one, but we must not quit in our efforts. A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.
Once again, the community is thankful for the support of the SSP and our political team in this community initiative.
ROHAN PERRY