WESTERN BUREAU – Cops have handed over the file on October’s fatal cop shooting in Flankers, St James to the office of the director of public prosecutions, according to Police Commissioner Francis Forbes.

“We have handed it over to the DPP. A lot went into the investigation, it is now left to them to make a ruling. It is a very unfortunate situation that we hope will never be repeated in Jamaica,” Forbes told reporters in Montego Bay yesterday.

Two elderly men were shot dead and a woman injured during a police operation in the community, sparking a huge protest.

The DPP will now rule on whether any cops should be charged in connection with the shooting.

Forbes, along with Security Minister Dr Peter Phillips later apologised to community and family members and have made a special effort to reach out to the inner-city area since then.

Yesterday, lawmen and members of the private sector staged a Christmas treat in the often volatile Flankers.

While there, Forbes also spoke about recent comments, from within the police hierarchy, that the western city was awash with drugs. According to him, he had noticed the problem two decades ago.

“I worked in Montego Bay for several years. so I know it very well. I was here when we had a major problem of drugs. in fact, at that time I had taken it upon myself to get a small team of intelligence officers and went out personally,” he said.

He did not say whether his efforts made any major difference at the time.

Superintendent Newton Amos, who is in charge of St James, recently spoke of the thriving illicit drug trade in the parish, which was making it increasingly difficult for cops to effectively fight crime.

But while Forbes said he did not like to label communities, he acceded, yesterday, that there was a problem in the tourist resort.

“I used to lead a team down here and you would be surprised to know that people found drugs inside hotels, packaged and ready to go and that was way back in 1981/82. So it is no news that Montego Bay has a lot of drug activities,” he said.