JCF Maintains Strong Presence in Montego Bay

Commanding Officer for St. James, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Eron Samuels, says the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is maintaining a strong presence in Montego Bay and surrounding areas to keep public order as recovery efforts continue following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

“We have pushed out our persons, beat officer patrol and other resources that we have currently at our disposal. While we are not operating at 100 per cent capacity, we are trying our best to ensure that we still have presence within the township,” SSP Samuels told JIS News in an interview.

He noted that assistance has been received from the JCF’s Specialised Operations Unit and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Combat Support Battalion to strengthen efforts on the ground.

The Commanding Officer said the police have been deployed to critical areas, including gas stations, where large crowds have been gathering to access fuel.

“There’s a bit of chaos there, so we have to be deploying persons at these points to ensure that there’s order. We still also have to deploy persons to escort fuel trucks and emergency units that need to be refueled. That is a major part of what we are doing now to ensure that the relief efforts can go on,” he told JIS News.

He appealed to the public to give priority to essential workers and vehicles seeking fuel.

“When police officers ask persons to hold on and give these persons priority, it is to ensure that we can push, as fast as possible, the aid process,” SSP Samuels emphasised.

He said the police have also been asked to assist with maintaining order as supermarkets reopen but noted that resources are limited.

“I’m going to be honest; we cannot assist everyone. We’ll have patrols within this space, but we will not be able to have a static presence at every supermarket. We are encouraging operators of these supermarkets to employ private security to do so,” he advised.

SSP Samuels also acknowledged damage to police infrastructure, including the Barnett Street Police Station, which he described as the hub of the city.

“That station has suffered some damage they are without their full roof, and that has hampered them as well. Quite a bit of those officers have lost homes and roofs. We are not at 100 per cent, but we are grateful that we are still able to work and serve the people of St. James,” he said.