St James Municipal Corporation and police agree to strengthen relations
ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) – The St James Municipal Corporation and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) are strengthening their relationship in the fight against crime.
Montego Bay’s Mayor, Homer Davis, said the entities will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in short order, which will guide their working relationship.
He said the MoU was one of the decisions coming out of a meeting between the entities on Monday at the Corporation’s Chambers in Montego Bay.
Addressing a press conference following the talks, Davis noted that the entities have given a firm and binding commitment to work together towards making St James a safer parish.
“We have established a good working relationship and we are now seeking to develop a MoU that will guide our process going forward. This is a situation that has been well thought out. We have come to the realisation that by establishing a more concerted relationship with the police, we can…put a lid on some of the illegal activities as it relates to what happens throughout the parish,” he pointed out.
He said the councillors will be playing a key role in this regard. “We have given them (police) the assurance that we will act as a conduit (between the police and citizens) as it relates to maintaining law and order in our respective divisions,” Davis said.
He noted that the parties have agreed that “it can’t be business as usual and with the (passage) of the Zones of Special Operations (legislation)… we have decided to convene a seminar to discuss the logistics on how the zones will be conducted.”
Davis informed that the meeting also addressed the provision of essential social services and other matters that impact on crime fighting.
“We discussed street lighting, the informal erection of shops along the roadside which the police view as a threat to law and order. We also discussed the de-bushing of areas and clearing public spaces of old cars and derelict buildings, which sometimes are used as a hideout or as a haven for persons involved in illegal activities,” the Montego Bay mayor said.
