Police Warns Relatives to Stop Sheltering Criminals

Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Area one, Keith Gardner, has warned relatives of criminals to stop sheltering them, or they too could face criminal charges.
“It has been said time and time again by various media that girlfriends, baby mothers, grandmothers and mothers must not wash the bloody clothes. The message has been sent and I think the moment of warning is over,” he stated.
The Assistant Commissioner, who was speaking at a press conference held at the Area One headquarters on Sewell Avenue in Montego Bay yesterday (Nov.15), was speaking against the background of the recent arrest of a 54-year old mother and grandmother in a St. James community, after she was held with an illegal weapon, which it was alleged belonged to her son.
According to ACP Gardner, the Area One police would be tackling crime in that area in a wholistic way, and no illegal activity would be overlooked. He said that over the last six weeks, the police had reaped “tremendous success” from operations carried out in the police division, which includes the parishes of St. James, Hanover, Trelawny and Westmoreland.
He informed that generally, the crime rate in Area One has been trending downwards when compared to last year, adding that over the last two weeks some 10 illegal firearms have been taken off the streets. He noted that operations would be heightened during the upcoming festive season.
In giving an update on the crime statistics in Area One, Superintendent in charge of crime, John Morris, informed of a general reduction in crime since the start of the year, when compared to the similar period of 2004, with murders down 19 per cent.
According to Superintendent Morris most of the murders were gang related, with an average clear-up rate of 50 per cent. Giving the parish statistics, he noted 64 of 123 murders committed in St. James have been cleared up; 16 of 39 in Westmoreland; 12 of 25 in Hanover; and 14 of 25 in Trelawny.