St. James Police Welcome Corporate Support in the Fight against Crime

Senior Superintendent in charge of crime for St. James, Paul Ferguson, has welcomed the support of the Montego Bay business community in the crime fighting effort, including the recent donation of four unmarked vehicles to facilitate patrol of troubled areas of the city.
“I want to commend the business sector for the level of support it has afforded the police in recent times,” he told JIS News in a recent interview. “We are aware that we must fight crime from a united effort . this is not only a police problem or responsibility as it has been overly emphasised that the police alone cannot fight crime,” he stated.
The donation, which includes $200,000 worth of fuel, came out of a series of discussions between the police and the business community last year aimed at finding solutions to the city’s escalating crime rate.
The meetings, which were organized by the Office of the Prime Minister (Western Jamaica), also involved the St. James Parish Council, which contributed three computers and other related equipment to enhance the police’s database and networking capabilities.
“With these persons coming on board, it motivates the men and women in the parish of St. James, knowing that there is support from this very important sector. I am therefore very appreciative of the total efforts,” the Senior Superintendent said.
Meanwhile, Poject/Programme Manager in the Office of the Prime Minister, Calvin G. Brown, pointed out that crime was of serious concern not only in Montego Bay but also across the entire country. He said it was unfair for citizens to believe that the police could, by itself, successfully deal with the scourge.
“This intervention from the business community is undoubtedly the way forward in effectively dealing with crime, as it has tremendously assisted the police in the reduction of the St. James murder rate. It has also lifted the morale of the men and women of the St. James constabulary,” he stated.
Mr. Brown informed that, “there are several other initiatives that are being discussed and which will be formalised as soon as we seek to do our part in partnering with the police. I therefore want to appeal to more of corporate Jamaica to come on board and assist the police in what I believe is a mammoth task, but one I am confident we can achieve if we unite.”