By Robert Hart, Staff Reporter 
Thomas
JUST ONE month into the job, recently-appointed Commissioner of Police, Lucius Thomas, has captured the hopes of a slim majority of Jamaicans in the face of the unbridled crime and violence sweeping the nation.
According to a Gleaner-commissioned Don Anderson poll, conducted earlier this month, most persons believe Commissioner Thomas will do a good job though many are skeptical.
"Jamaicans have mixed views as to how effective the new commissioner will be in tackling the problems he inherited," Anderson said in releasing the findings of the poll conducted between February 3 and 11, by his team of researchers from Market Research Services Ltd.
"The majority, 52 per cent, feel that he will be more effective than his predecessor," he added, noting that the poll involved interviews with 1,000 persons aged 18 and over in all parishes throughout the island.
Many of the optimistic believed the new commissioner would bring his experience, new ideas, and vision to the leadership of the force.
However, 41 per cent of those interviewed said they expected Thomas to be less effective than former Commissioner Francis Forbes because they believed, for one, that tackling crime has become a hopeless task.
The sample was highly representative of all the various demographic groups of age, gender and socio-economic group and the findings were therefore indicative of the national opinions of people within each of these segments.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent. Commissioner Thomas took the helm of the beleaguered police force, on January 19, replacing Forbes who opted for early retirement after eight years at the top.
The commissioner has accepted the challenge of leading the force in a year when Jamaicans are still coming to grips with a record-breaking 1,459-murder total for 2004.
Among those polled who were optimistic about Commissioner Thomas's impact, 32 per cent believed he would deliver more ideas than former Commissioner Forbes did during his tenure.
Another 31.5 per cent said they had high hopes and aspirations for the new commissioner, but did not indicate what those expectations were based on.
Meanwhile, another 10 per cent believed he had more experience than Forbes and therefore ought to do a better job.''
