ST THOMAS, Jamaica — Police Superintendent Beau Rigabie says he’s happy to report that the voting process in St Thomas has gone ahead without any major incident.

“It has been good so far, we have nothing significant to report and we hope it stays this way for the rest of the day,” said the parish’s police commander.

“Obviously, our planning is proving to be good and the rollout has been spot on,” Rigabie told OBSERVER ONLINE a short while ago.

Military and police personnel were visible at all polling stations, plus the operation maintained regular patrols in the parish.

Rigabie told OBSERVER ONLINE on Wednesday that the officers under his command would focus on some polling areas with a history of unruly behaviour at general election time, but up to the time of posting there was nothing major has come up for the security forces to handle.

The Superintendent, who recently transferred to St Thomas Division from Westmoreland, had identified Lyssons, Airy Castle, Dalvey and Port Morant as potential hotspots in the St Thomas Western constituency being contested by incumbent candidate Dr Fenton Ferguson of the People’s National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Delano Seiveright.

Rigabie also fingered Seaforth, White Horses, Yallahs and Springfield in St Thomas Western as potential trouble spots.

The JLP’s James Robertson, the incumbent, and the PNP’s Marsha Francis are doing battle for that seat.

But having visited a number of those communities, the OBSERVER ONLINE team observed order at polling stations and opposing supporters mingling and having fun for the most part.

Sean Williams