No matter how sophisticated criminals become, the police will be better, declares Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, in a strongly worded warning to criminals.
He was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new police station at Frome in Westmoreland on Thursday, September 15, 2022, where he addressed the high murder rate in the parish.
Minister Chang hinted at a period of increased police activity leading up to December, which will be spearheaded by the police, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA).
According to the Minister, the slate of targeted investment in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is to guarantee the ultimate result, which is to ensure that criminality is once and for all defeated and gangsters and other violence producers are arrested and sentenced in a court of law.
“The criminals are changing how they operate due to the relentless pressure brought upon them by the security forces. The police are also adopting new strategies and plan to eliminate them and I know the police, the JDF and MOCA and all the other formations in the JCF are smarter, brighter and better than the criminals,” Minister Chang said.
“We will beat them, we will get you,” he emphasized, further assuring Westmoreland residents who have witnessed increased killings across the parish in recent months.
In Western Jamaica, the Westmoreland Police Division is the most violent division second to the St James Police Division. The parish has become a hotbed for criminal activity mainly because of increased lottery scamming and while a Zone of Special Operation has been established in a section of Savanna la Mar, murders have spiked in other major townships including Grange Hill, Little London and Negril, with inter and intra-gang feuds.
The National Security Minister assured residents that the security forces will not relent.
“The leadership of the Westmoreland Police Division is aware of the hurt citizens feel and working to bring the lawlessness of the few to books. Supported by the JDF, the strategies they will employ will bring some amount of ease to the people,” he said.
Minister Chang added that the police must have the right tools available to fight crime effectively. To this end, the Government will be giving the JCF the physical tools they need, the requisite legislation and the support necessary to get the job done to restore good public order and public safety.
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