Glenroy Sinclair, Gleaner Reporter
Deputy Superintendent of Police Radcliffe Lewis shows off knives seized from members of the public. - NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
EVEN THOUGH the Offensive Weapons Act was passed in Parliament five years ago, the illegal sale of knives persists in public places.
Under the act, public places includes highways, roadways, passageways, courts, wharves, school premises, public gardens, open spaces or any place used for the purposes of sports and games. They also include other places or premises to which, at the material time, the public has access whether on payment or otherwise.
But are the police doing enough in their zero tolerance approach to manage crime?
Take the commercial capital of St. Andrew, Half-Way Tree Square. It has become one of the many public places where vendors are seen daily, peddling dozens of knives openly, while others tuck them away on their persons.
A week ago, The Gleaner observed an imposing male street vendor holding aloft three packaged machetes for sale, in the busy Half-Way Tree Square, which was heavy with traffic and impatient drivers.
FINE
The law states that any persons knowingly having in their possession, in any public place, any offensive weapons, shall commit an offence and be liable,
on summary conviction before a Resident Magistrate, to a fine not exceeding $4,000 and, on default of payment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding four months.
Apart from the illegal sale of these knives, on April 27, cars were seen dangerously switching lanes in order to avoid stationary traffic. The air was heavy with fumes, dust and car horns.
A strong smell of urine wafted in the air around numerous walls and street corners. Some stains were even visible on the pavement.
