By Robert Hart, Staff Reporter 
JAMAICANS ARE yet to be convinced that the recently-introduced crime-fighting initiative, Operation Kingfish, is a great success.
According to a Gleaner-commissioned Don Anderson poll, only 18 per cent of persons interviewed believed that Operation Kingfish has been 'very successful' in tackling the nation's rampant criminality.
"This is a view mainly held by older persons and by those in the lower socio-economic group," Anderson said in the findings of the poll conducted between February 3 and 11.
He added: "It suggests these persons are fully satisfied with how Operation Kingfish is progressing."
Anderson and his team of researchers from Market Research Services Ltd. conducted the poll, which involved island wide interviews with 1,000 persons aged 18 and over. The sample was highly representative of all demographic groups of age, gender and socio economic status and the findings were therefore indi-cative of the national opinions of people within each segment.
SOMEWHAT SUCCESSFUL
The results indicated that 38 per cent of those interviewed believe Oper-ation Kingfish has been somewhat successful.
According to Anderson, most persons therefore, at a combined 56 per cent, indicated that the initiative has been a reasonable success.
A combined 38 per cent of those polled, did not believe that Operation Kingfish is realising the level of success it should.
"Those who were sceptical felt mainly that they couldn't see it any other way as crime was still on the increase," Anderson said.
Operation Kingfish was launched on October 19, 2004, with support from the United States and British counter-narcotics forces.
The initiative was set up as an effort to crack down on local criminal gangs and bring drug lords to justice.
TRANSPORTING
NARCOTICS
Since its inception, Operation Kingfish has reportedly seized several guns, drugs and dozens of boats suspected of transporting narcotics overseas.
However, Dr. Peter Phillips, minister of national security, has acknowledged that violence remains high and claimed that it has in part been a result of the 'tightening of the noose' around desperate criminals and their operations.
According to the poll, persons in Hanover, St. Catherine, and Kingston, did not have very strong positive views of the success of the operation to date. Forty eight per cent of persons interviewed from Kingston were of the view that the initiative has been unsuccessful.
Eleven per cent of 'real sceptics' felt that nothing had been achieved because 'the police are so corrupt'.
Persons in Trelawny (73 per cent), St. Mary (70 per cent), Portland (70 per cent), were among those who were most satisfied with the results to date.
Twenty eight per cent of all those who were satisfied said they recognised an overall improvement in the fight against organised crime and 23 per cent thought there was a reduction in drug trafficking.
The majority of those interviewed in St. Elizabeth, Clarendon, Manchester and St. Ann, viewed Operation Kingfish as being successful.
