Keep up the pressure — St Andrew North crime chief
THE St Andrew North police are calling on the government to extend the current state of emergency as since its imposition crime has been reduced significantly in that division.Observer today.
Police in that division say since May 24, when Prime Minister Bruce Golding announced the state of emergency, there has been no murders in the division and the security forces have seized a at least seven guns and 50 rounds of ammunition.
“The reduction is as a result of sustained police activity in the division since the state of emergency was called. I am calling for it to be extended as we support anything that causes a reduction in crime,” Deputy Superintendent Altermoth ‘Parra’ Campbell, who is in charge of crime for the division, told the
Campbell said apart from murder, all other crimes have trended down.
“There has been a significant reduction in property crimes, robberies, car-jacking and the crimes that used to pop up on the radar quite frequently,” Campbell said.
Meanwhile Campbell said Cleveland ‘Cassie’ Downer — the leader of a gang based in a community known as ‘Common’ which runs off Red Hills Road — was still in custody.
Downer was among several members of the Common gang who turned themselves in to the Constant Spring Police three days after the state of emergency was called.
“He is being interrogated by detectives from the Criminal Investigation Bureau,” Campbell told the Observer.
Downer was shot several times during an attack in the community as he handed out t-shirts to residents who were planning to attend a Jamaica Labour Party conference at the National Arena in November 2006. The attack on Downer resulted in the splintering of the Common gang, which turned bloody and ended in the murder of more than 15 people. Several other residents were forced to flee the community in fear of their lives.