Clarendon police launch attack on community gangs

Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer

THE CLARENDON police has launched an attack on gangs in the parish, a strategy which Dathan Henry, senior superintendent of police for the parish, said is largely responsible for the decrease in homicides recorded there.

Clarendon saw a 54 per cent drop in murders for 2010. Police say 131 persons were killed.

"We have been dismantling the gangs. We have been making significant inroads into the gangs operating in the parish. A number of the main players have been arrested and a number of them were taken out (killed) during police/criminal confrontations," Henry told a Parish Development Forum hosted by The Gleaner last Thursday.

He said that the impact of this policing effort was reflected in the declining murder figures, which stood at 163 for 2008, when 35 persons were killed in the first quarter of the year. Some 32 persons were killed in the first quarter of 2009, with 18 murders reported for the comparative period this year.

The senior policeman said it was the combined efforts of the police and residents of the troubled communities which had reaped the positive results. He explained that the police had increased their numbers in the communities once ruled by the gangs and once again law-abiding people were taking back control of these areas.

Significant inroads

"Basically we have been making some significant inroads with crime, and one of the things that we have seen now is that the public confidence in the police within this parish is very high because, up to a year and a half ago to two years, there was no night life in the parish of Clarendon because of the crime. Now people are saying this is the best thing that could have happened to the parish," Henry said.

He added: "We have a lot of projects - both government and private projects - going up, and people are getting work and we are going to continue the momentum in terms of dealing with the remnants who still cannot come to the realisation that this is it. It is time to change course and to get into a meaningful programme so that we can help them to grow and to develop, so that they can make a meaningful development to the country."

Henry also had strong words for people who consider themselves law abiding but who are silent on crimes they witness. He suggested that the two stances taken together are inconsistent.

"Law-abiding citizens are those who see things and cause it to be reported to the authorities. We have many, many avenues that the government has spent millions of dollars so that citizens can pass information. You have 811, 311, 119, 1-800 Corrupt - all of these numbers, they can call to ensure that what they know is passed on to the authorities.

"I just want to appeal to them to be on the side of law enforcement, and we can guarantee them a safe, confident and peaceful country for many years to come."