Jamaica sees drop in murders

[Wahalla]

Re: Jamaica sees drop in murders

Black Star,

I dont mean to rain on a prarade, but TG does point out the flaws in the counting methods.. Another is the fact all killing by licence gun owners or police is not included.. Another look at it is that the rise in murder last year may be higher than normal. The only way to access it is to compare the rate rise against 2004 is the rate higher ????

There are has always been a large numbers of disappeared in the 70's theese were claimed to be runaways to forgien, but I always suspect that the Caustic lake hides many sins and there are those that actually bury their victims...

I would hope against hope I am wrong, "but a hope is a comfort to a fool" as my old teacher would say....

[Blackstar*]

Re: Jamaica sees drop in murders

[ QUOTE ]
Black Star,

I dont mean to rain on a prarade, but TG does point out the flaws in the counting methods.. Another is the fact all killing by licence gun owners or police is not included.. Another look at it is that the rise in murder last year may be higher than normal. The only way to access it is to compare the rate rise against 2004 is the rate higher ????

There are has always been a large numbers of disappeared in the 70's theese were claimed to be runaways to forgien, but I always suspect that the Caustic lake hides many sins and there are those that actually bury their victims...

I would hope against hope I am wrong, "but a hope is a comfort to a fool" as my old teacher would say....

[/ QUOTE ]
Oh, Wahalla, not to worry. I'm not jumping for joy as yet - I know how numbers can lie. Tuff Gong did mention in another thread that there are a lot of missing who of course are unaccounted for in the number of homicides.

[Blackstar*]

Re: Jamaica sees drop in murders

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Jamaica sees drop in murders

Congrats to the police, but.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

There is no doubt that last week was one of the best the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has enjoyed in a long while, both in terms of results and presence in the media.

First, there were the raids by the Narcotics Division and other sections of the constabulary in Old Harbour Bay and other locations which resulted in huge ganja finds linked, as is usually the case, with the ever present danger of gun trafficking.

Then on Wednesday, Operation Kingfish, again with the assistance of other JCF agencies and international law enforcement partners, conducted simultaneous raids in five countries, including in North and South America, in order to flush out international drug criminals.

In the Jamaican leg of this major international operation, eight locations were raided resulting in the capture of persons who have been described as senior players in the international drug trade.

This paper congratulates the JCF on these successes and the continuing decline in the homicide rate, which has seen an overall decrease of approximately 26 per cent when compared to figures for last year. We are also encouraged by statements from the Police High Command that they are not resting on their laurels and are continuing to engage criminals wherever they might be in this country.

We are also encouraged by the JCF's continued commitment to enhancing its intelligence gathering capacity and its efforts to engage its major stakeholder - the citizens of this country - through several initiatives, but mainly through efforts at community policing.

But there are concerns. We noticed that over last weekend (Friday and Saturday nights), there were no less than four police fatal shootings. While at this time investigations are pending, we are not at all enamoured by the steady rise in the number of police fatal shootings since the start of the year - 118 to the end of the first week in August compared to 92 for the corresponding period last year.

We fully accept that there are vile and vicious criminals in our society and that the police are duty-bound to protect themselves when attacked. This is the power given to the police by the citizens of this country through their elected representatives.

However, we also know that there are many instances where the use of deadly force can be avoided in confrontations with gunmen. Deadly force should only be used as a measure of last resort. It is therefore incumbent on the commissioner of police and other top-ranking officers of the JCF to preach this message at every opportunity. Any gains the police make in engaging citizens will be totally eroded if there are unwarranted police killings.

While the murder statistics look good (and these statistics represent reported crimes), and the men and women of the JCF are to be congratulated, there is still a major fear of crime factor in the country. Many citizens are still not convinced that when they are the victims of crime the correct thing to do is to report it to the police.

Many crimes are left unreported, resulting in what we suspect is a glaring imbalance between the reported crimes issued by the police and actual crimes committed in the country.

We therefore urge the Ministry of National Security to conduct the long-awaited crime survey to give planners and, of course, the police a better representation of what is really happening in the country. We are sure that the conduct and subsequent findings of a national crime survey will go a long way in helping to understand and appreciate the nature of the beast that is criminality in this country.

We also remind Commissioner Lucius Thomas that in his press conference in January he emphatically stated that he would, at every instance, call for the conduct of a national crime survey.
We await with great anticipation this survey.
Congrats to the police, but.


Too many missing persons

Sounds & Pressure commends PM
The women of the Jamaica Labour Party are most concerned about the number of missing persons in Jamaica over the past few years.

That 152 persons went missing in January 2006 alone is alarming. We note that 75 per cent of this number are women. We also note that there is a pattern that is trending upwards, of abducting young girls between the ages of 11 and 19.

It is clear that we are not handling this alarming and frightening epidemic properly and the following questions must be asked:

• Why is it that the country is only being told about this now? Surely we all should have been informed about this long ago.

• Why are the photographs of the missing persons not published in the newspapers and on the television over and over again so that the public can assist in finding these persons?

• Why don’t we have an ‘orange’ alert in the country like the USA?
• Why are the communities not advised that someone is missing in their area so that massive search parties can be organised right away?

• Why is it taking so long to crack the ring of men who are abducting young women for sex? It seems that these men are permitted to take charge of communities and continue their rein of terror unabated!

• Why is there not more public education on the steps to be taken to protect our children? Parents need to be taught on how to protect their children and children need to be taught what to do and what not to do when approached by a stranger?

• And why is it that again, we wait until the situation of missing persons is allowed to get out of control before new policies of “immediate investigation” is carried out by the police? Why has the government failed so miserably to protect us?

Also, the special unit set up to deal with missing persons seems to be woefully inadequate to deal with the number of missing persons listed. We, therefore, call on the government to immediately re-organise this unit and equip it with the manpower and equipment that it needs to be effective.The women of the JLP will be watching.

Sally Porteous
Deputy Mayor of Mandeville
Too many missing persons

[Blackstar*]

Rape & Stabbing in Westmoreland

Men stabbed to death in Westmoreland
Observer Reporter
Monday, September 04, 2006

GENEVA, Westmoreland- Roy Weller, a 73-year-old returning resident and Glenroy Arnett, 31, both of Burnt Savannah, were yesterday stabbed to death by a group of men who went on a rampage in this small rural community.

The hoodlums also reportedly sexually assaulted two females and stabbed a 25-year-old man in the community.

According to the police, at about 4:00 am yesterday, the three men and a woman were walking home from a wake in Geneva, when they were approached by a group of men who were armed with knives.

Following a brief conversation, investigators said, the men attacked the group and inflicted stab wounds to the men.
They then reportedly sexually assaulted one woman, and later went to the house of one of the men they had earlier attacked and sexually assaulted another woman.

The injured men were taken to hospital where Arnett and Weller were pronounced dead and the other man admitted.

[Q3210]

Re: Rape & Stabbing in Westmoreland

when elections is in the air truth is usually supressed or distorted to suit the party in power.
the police are ordered not to reveal figures and the news media dont press for accurate and truthful information, so we end up with this false fascination that crime and murder is down.

[Blackstar*]

Re: Rape & Stabbing in Westmoreland

Q, that's what Tuff Gong was telling me. Wat a ting.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Rape & Stabbing in Westmoreland


According to Drawn Poor crime is down Madan PM is doing fine! What a thing you coming from Nine Night deep in the country and this happen?

[Blackstar*]

Re: Rape & Stabbing in Westmoreland

[ QUOTE ]
What a thing you coming from Nine Night deep in the country and this happen?

[/ QUOTE ]
You see it too - this story is just too sad. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[Blackstar*]

Killings in Hampton Green

Killings in quiet Hampton Green have police concerned
published: Tuesday | September 5, 2006

Spanish Town, St. Catherine

Despite a decline in the murder rate for the St. Catherine North Division, the recent killings of two men in the quiet Hampton Green community have left the police concerned.

The latest incident occurred about 9:30 on September 3 along North Avenue in the community when gunmen shot and killed 19-year-old footballer Dean Samuda. It is reported that Samuda was called outside his house along North Avenue and was shot more than six times by the attackers. His death followed closely on that of 56-year-old Donald Warmington, who, while vacationing in the island, went to visit relatives in the Hampton Green area, last week Monday. About 6:30 a.m. a lone gunman entered the dwelling house and shot Warmington in his abdomen. He died later that morning in hospital.

Police sources told The Gleaner that the killings of Warmington and Samuda are connected. A senior investigator said Samuda had a relative who lived at the house in which Warmington was shot and allegedly told persons that he knew who Warmington's attackers were.

The police say they are following several leads and are investigating.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Killings in Hampton Green

[ QUOTE ]
Killings in quiet Hampton Green have police concerned
published: Tuesday | September 5, 2006

Spanish Town, St. Catherine

Despite a decline in the murder rate for the St. Catherine North Division, the recent killings of two men in the quiet Hampton Green community have left the police concerned.

The latest incident occurred about 9:30 on September 3 along North Avenue in the community when gunmen shot and killed 19-year-old footballer Dean Samuda. It is reported that Samuda was called outside his house along North Avenue and was shot more than six times by the attackers. His death followed closely on that of 56-year-old Donald Warmington, who, while vacationing in the island, went to visit relatives in the Hampton Green area, last week Monday. About 6:30 a.m. a lone gunman entered the dwelling house and shot Warmington in his abdomen. He died later that morning in hospital.

Police sources told The Gleaner that the killings of Warmington and Samuda are connected. A senior investigator said Samuda had a relative who lived at the house in which Warmington was shot and allegedly told persons that he knew who Warmington's attackers were.

The police say they are following several leads and are investigating.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mark that three Jamaicans visiting or returning to live in Jamaica died violently in less than a month. Do you think the friends, families and love ones of these persons are going to believe that crime is down?

[RichD]

Re: Rape & Stabbing in Westmoreland

[ QUOTE ]

According to Drawn Poor crime is down Madan PM is doing fine! What a thing you coming from Nine Night deep in the country and this happen?

[/ QUOTE ]
fine it hard to belive sey is jus so dis occur...wonda if is aftah dem stab dem dem did fine out which part di man live fi go a him house...

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Jamaica sees drop in murders



Wed Sep 6, 2006
Lack of funds hinders efficiency of special police unit

A severe shortage of resources is hampering the operations of the special unit established last year to probe murders and gun related crimes in the Corporate area.

Speaking with the RJR News Centre Wednesday morning, head of the unit, Assistant Commissioner Les Green said he has not been able to effectively carry out his mandate due to the unavailability of the necessary tools.

ACP Green says while he is aware of efforts by the Police Commissioner to address the problem, there is no indication when the situation will be dealt with.

The former Scotland Yard detective says if properly equipped, the unit will be able to make a significant contribution to the overall crime fighting effort.

Late last year, National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips announced the establishment of the new task force in the face of what was then described as a spiralling murder rate.

At that time he explained that the unit would include experienced detectives drawn from existing Homicide Units and Divisional offices.

http://www.radiojamaica.com/news/story.php?category=2&story=27949

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Jamaica sees drop in murders


Hextra Info:

Tue Sep 12, 2006
Salt Spring health centre ordered closed because of violence

In the wake of the worsening crime situation in Salt Spring, St. James, the Western Regional Health Authority has ordered the temporary closure of the community's Health Centre.

The Health Authority says the closure became necessary as personnel at the Health Centre were at risk.

It pointed to Sunday night's murder which took place near the facility.

The Health Authority says as soon as the security forces give the assurance that the community is safe, the situation will be reviewed with a view to reopening the centre.

Since late last week, four persons have been murdered and four shot and injured in Salt Spring.

Gunmen are continuing their rampage in the volatile area despite efforts by the police to address the problem.

And one St. James’ Members of Parliament is warning that the crime situation in the parish will worsen unless the government moves quickly to deal with the social problems facing several communities.

Member of Parliament for Northwest St. James, Dr. Horace Chang, believes the presence of the security forces in volatile communities will not be enough to quell the growing crime problem.

He says in the short-term, the government should give serious consideration to his repeated calls for the military to be deployed to restore law and order to crime-plagued communities.

http://www.radiojamaica.com/news/story.php?category=2&story=28140

[Yuriatin]

Re: Jamaica sees drop in murders

Clearly RJR is misinformed. (-:

Don't they know that the govt has proclaimed the crime rate in Jamaica is plummeting?!

Sheesh!