By Adrian Frater, News EditorWESTERN BUREAU:
THE DAMNING statement on Wednesday by Supt. Newton Amos, head of the St. James Police Division, describing Montego Bay as a 'drug den' where drug dealers flourish, has drawn mixed reaction from two of the city's influential leaders.
While Winston Dear, the Chamber of Commerce president, gave some credence to Mr. Amos's statement which was made at a Gleaner Editors' Forum at the offices of the newspaper's Western Bureau, Montego Bay, Godfrey Dyer, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), was dismissive of the statement, describing it as 'hogwash'.
ABSENCE OF EVIDENCE
"I call a statement like that hogwash. The police have a duty to go out and arrest those who are breaking the law," said Mr. Dyer, a former policeman. "In the absence of evidence, I believe statements like these are designed to cover up the deficiency of the police."
While stating that he did not have the information required to be as assertive as Supt. Amos, Mr. Dear said he too shared the view that illegal drugs and their corrupting influence had infiltrated the city's business sector. However, he said he did not have the requisite information to point an accusing finger at any particular individual.
NO LOGICAL EXPLANATION
But he pointed to the construction sector as one area where there was 'no logical explanation' for the heavy spending now taking place. He cautioned, however, that "while that might be the case, we must not run the risk of concluding that if you are successful in business it means you are involved in drugs."
"We must not lose sight of the fact that we still have a lot of honest, hard-working people among us," Mr. Dear said. "You must remember that we benefit from a lot of remittances and that there are many other sources of legitimate income."
But while not dismissing the assertion about the impact of the drug trade, Mr. Dyer maintains that talking about the influence and power of the so-called 'Mr. Bigs', and not arresting them amounted to nothing. According to him, Supt. Amos and his superiors needed to become more proactive in mapping workable strategies to deal with the problem.
"I am sick and tired of the talking, I want to see some action," Mr. Dyer said. He has regularly vented his frustration at St. James's spiralling crime problem, especially its murder toll, which has reached 97 since the start of the year. "If the police know the people who are breaking the law they must go out and arrest them", he said.
Mr. Dear said he was most worried about what appeared to be a case of drug dealers creating their own justice system, which was designed to dispense gangland-style justice against those who crossed their path.
"When one looks at the gruesome nature of some of the killings, one can't help being extremely worried," said Mr. Dear. "Drawing reference to instances where those killed had been mutilated as well", he said, "With killings like those, I am sure people will think twice before crossing these people's path by giving information to the police."
