Murder mars Denham Town ZOSO anniversary
... but residents, partners pleased with gains over five years
Published:Thursday | October 20, 2022 | 12:11 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
Even as news of a man being murdered on North Street spread through Denham Town on Wednesday, residents remained adamant that the crime situation would have been worse had a zone of special operations (ZOSO) not been declared in the troubled west Kingston community in October 2017.
The man, Chad Coleman, was reportedly killed at his home, which is located between two security checkpoints.
“If it wasn’t for the ZOSO, I couldn’t be out here standing and talking to you right now,” one resident told The Gleaner.
He was standing outside the community centre as citizens and several officials gathered to celebrate the five-year milestone.
Over the period, Denham Town has seen an increased presence of security forces and more than $450 million invested in social projects as the Government moves to transform the crime-riddled space. Among the works done are improvements to community infrastructure such as replacing zinc fences with block and steel fences, creating parks and greenspaces, school rehabilitation projects, and providing grants towards micro enterprises within the community.
“Mi wouldn’t mind it stay forever. Although dem deh here and things still a gwaan, maybe it would [have been worse]. Mi glad fi dem,” 53-year-old resident Donna Anderson said.
Patrina Williams, a member of the community’s youth curfew monitors project, said she is more than happy with the impact the ZOSO has had on the area.
“Violence is still here, but not to the extreme as how it was before because before, it used to be gang war, meaning bottle and stone flinging and all a dem something deh. It’s been a while since we’ve seen stuff like that in the community,” she said.
Senior Superintendent Michael Phipps, who heads the Kingston Western Police Division, said that murders have been steadily declining since the ZOSO was implemented in Denham Town in October 2017. Since January, there have been five murders and nine shootings reported in the community, compared to the 13 homicides and 35 shootings over the corresponding period last year.
He stressed that the security forces were working assiduously to ensure that gangs do not reinfiltrate the community.
Meanwhile, ground commander for the Denham Town ZOSO, Major Kerron Speid, implored residents to get more involved in the social initiatives to maintain the peace.
“I’m sure some of you have enjoyed seeing the police and soldiers in this space, but it’s really not normal. ... We want you people to be free to move around, to be civil towards each other, to be civil towards the security forces and other communities,” he said.
Declaring that Denham Town has the “best ZOSO” operating in Jamaica, West Kingston Member of Parliament Desmond McKenzie cautioned residents that the security measure, which was given a 60-day extension in Parliament on Wednesday, could not go on forever.
“We must ask ourselves the question: When will Denham Town be able to graduate, to go on its own, to manage its own business without the security on a 24-hour basis? We’re not there yet, because there are still areas that we need to work on, but this can’t be indefinite, and I am urging my constituents to let us be an example,” he said.
On Wednesday, the ZOSOs in Norwood and Mount Salem in St James; Greenwich Town, Parade Gardens, and August Town in St Andrew; and Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland were similarly extended. They were set to expire on October 22.