By Claudia Gardner, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
IN A bid to arrest the recent upsurge in violent crimes, the police hierarchy in Hanover will be putting new measures in place to ensure that the parish maintains its reputation as the safest parish in Jamaica in 2003.
Deputy Superintendent Charles Harvey, second in command in the Hanover Police Division, said the police, which recently acquired several new patrol vehicles and had their manpower strengthened with 21 new district constables, would be stepping up patrols and spot-checks across the parish.
While Hanover has the enviable distinction of being the police division with the lowest murder count last year, DSP Harvey said the police were quite concerned about the growing number of sexual offences being committed in the parish.
While he is promising an increased police presence, DSP Harvey said a special effort would be made to ensure that officers act in a professional manner, as abuse against citizens by the lawmen will not be tolerated.
"We will impress upon the travelling public, the utmost courtesy and respect at all times," said DSP Harvey. "However, we are asking the public to co-operate with the police and report any form of suspicious activity taking place in their communities to us."
"We want citizens to report any misconduct displayed by any member of the Hanover police; we don't want them to hide it from us," added DSP Harvey. "No one has to tell us his name. We are not in the business of calling names but we will deal with the matter. What we want is transparency at every level of our operation."
In seeking to explain Hanover's low crime rate, DSP Harvey said it could be attributed to good community relations between the police and the citizens. However, in praising the citizens for their lawful attributes, he warned them to guard against complacency.
"Because of the hard work of the citizens and the police, we are able to have a small number of persons facing the court here in Hanover," said DSP Harvey. "We hope to remain the parish with the lowest crime rate."
