After five consecutive general election beatings by People’s National Party (PNP) Chairman Robert ‘Bobby’ Pickersgill in the contest for North West St Catherine, Dr Sandra Nesbeth has thrown in the towel, ending one of the longest and most dogged political fights.

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) sources immediately began touting retired Senior Superintendent of Police Newton Amos among hopefuls who wish to succeed Nesbeth, a medical doctor, as the party’s caretaker and candidate for the next general election constitutionally due in 2016.

Dr Nesbeth called it a day three years after suffering her fifth loss in the constituency to Pickersgill, the minister of water, land, environment and climate change, in December, 2011 when she scored 4,607 votes to his 7,682, with a turnout of 41.6 per cent of voters. Her retirement comes 22 years after she first challenged Pickersgill in 1993.

James, one of the country’s most well known crime fighters over the past two decades, retired at the level of senior superintendent in 2014, after being in charge of the volatile St Andrew South division in the Corporate Area from 2002-2005, when he was transferred to St James. However, he was recalled to St Andrew South approximately a year later. He also served as head of the Police Area 5.