Dwight Nelson, Gleaner Writer

Head of the Clarendon police, Superintendent Radcliffe Lewis, is blaming easy movement across parish borders for the influx of murders in Clarendon.Speaking with The Gleaner on the weekend, the candid cop said rural sections of the parish were now the worst affected.

"The levels of crime in the parish in regions known as 'hot spots' have been on the low recently and have moved to the rural areas," Lewis said. "The terrain is very wide across the parish, rendering proper policing very difficult, and new measures will have to be introduced into these rural areas."

The superintendent said Highway 2000, spearheaded by the previous People's National Party administration to drive trade and transportation, has facilitated quick movement from the Corporate Area for criminals as well.

Lewis' latest comments come against the background of another bloody weekend for Clarendon as seven men lost their lives to the bullet.

Wild shooting

Last Friday night, six farmers were shot, three fatally, by armed robbers in the rural district of McKnie near Crofts Hill.

The incident occurred less than 12 hours after residents in the parish marched for peace to protest against the parish's growing violence in Clarendon.

Police said the incident occurred when a group in a shop in the community was approached by three armed robbers about 10:30 Friday night. The robbers took cash and phone cards amounting to $6,000.

As they made their escape, they opened fire, hitting six persons. The injured men were taken to hospital, where three were pronounced dead.