Commish mum on nabbing crime lords
Published:Friday | July 23, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter
COMMISSIONER of Police Owen Ellington has shut out queries as to whether powerful persons will soon be jailed for their roles in organised crime.
His rebuff came amid concern that the much-vaunted assault on lawlessness was concentrated on poor urban youth, while not targeting wealthy uptowners - viewed as untouchable - who are believed to pull the strings of organised crime.
"I will never discuss my intelligence," Ellington said when asked whether the police would be bringing charges against businessmen or politicians involved in organised crime.
At the same time, retired Senior Superintendent of Police Reneto Adams said the police should have taken in "big men" for questioning during the state of emergency.
"I am disappointed that politicians, businessmen and some persons purporting to be members of the clergy and policemen who are criminals were not called up," Adams told The Gleaner yesterday.
Mission to crush crime
The police have announced that they are on a mission to crush criminal networks across the country. They have also called in many persons who they describe as major persons of interest.
Aside from failed aspirant Rohan Silvera, of the People's National Party, being called in, no other politician has been picked up.
The police have linked Silvera to the monstrous Clansman gang in Spanish Town, St Catherine, one of the three parishes governed by a state of emergency which expired at midnight. They also say he is a key player in the cash-for-gold scheme. Silvera has denied the claims.
Persons overlooked
Adams has said there are high-ranking persons in the society who have been overlooked by the police in the recent operations, even though he concedes that they might need more time to rope them in.
He also argued that too many persons whom the police demanded to surrender have been released without being charged.
The police obtained detention orders for 128 persons, 16 of whom have been charged. With the state of emergency now ended, the police will no longer be able to detain persons for long periods.
Adams argued that with the cushion of 30-day detentions out the door, the cops should consider picking up suspects, "detaining them for 10 days and then release them, and then detain them again, until you catch him red-handed".