All-out downtown crackdown
Published:Tuesday | November 9, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
The police have vowed that there will be no let-up in their drive to rid the streets of downtown Kingston of illegal activities.
Already, the police have launched an initiative to remove sellers who had set up their stalls in no-vending areas. Now the lawmen are targeting persons involved in other criminal activities in the market district.
"We will be targeting from the man who is selling ganja openly on the streets, to the woman who is selling illegal DVDs and the man selling firecrackers," Inspector Paul Belvett told The Gleaner yesterday.
"Even those men who want to charge people to park in designated parking areas, we will arrest and charge them and take them before the courts," Belvett added.
Zero-tolerance approach
He said the police would be maintaining a strong presence on the streets with a zero-tolerance approach.
"If the person says they are selling illegal DVDs to send their children to school, the word to them is 'sell something else'.
"We have found that some of these poor people are selling DVDs for some powerful dons, and the profits from that are buying bullets which could claim your life or mine," said Belvett.
He said the police increased their presence on the streets from November 1, and already, they were seeing some success.
"On Saturday, the street crimes and operations unit from the Kingston Central police seized 63lb of ganja and about 500 DVDs. We have also seized some 'fireclappers', and I want to tell people that we will be arresting and charging the people caught selling these illegal items. So, if you have plans to sell them for Christmas, don't bother."
More police patrols
According to Belvett, come the first week of December, office duties will be reduced to ensure that more police are out patrolling the streets.
"The commissioner has already told members of the CIB (Criminal Investigations Bureau) that they should have two uniforms so that they can be assigned uniformed duties on the streets," said Belvett.
Yesterday, the heavy police presence was visible in downtown Kingston, with lawmen conducting foot patrols all over the market district.
Roads which had been cleared of vendors remained that way as sellers observed the no-vending rules.
Workmen were also seen carrying out repairs and improvements to the Coronation Market.