Mark Titus, Enterprise Reporter

Left: Mandeville Mayor Brenda Ramsay says the Closed To Crime project has inspired hope. Right: Jasmine Pottinger, president of the National Association of Returned Citizens.

President of the National Association of Returned Citizens (NARC), Jasmine Pottinger, is confident that the Closed To Crime Initiative (CTCI) will bring stability to Manchester.

Once a lonely voice crying out against the alarming crime rate in her parish of birth, Pottinger, who is also president of the Central Manchester Returned Citizens Association, says her organisation now has a platform from which to highlight important issues affecting her members.

"I remember the days when utterances by the returning residents would only make a good news piece for our media houses, nothing more," she says, "but the Closed To Crime Initiative not only gives us a voice, it also provides an avenue through which action can be taken."

"My concern is, however, not only for the returnees, it is for every member of our communities. We must begin to pay special care to the less fortunate," she continued.

Optimism not dampened

The retired health-care professional, who returned to Jamaica 11 years ago after spending 36 years in the United Kingdom, says her optimism has not been dampened by allegations of a cop being the mastermind of a robbery ring that targeted returning residents.

Constable Horace Roberts was subsequently charged with 30 counts of robbery along with several of his accomplices. They are 30-year-old Robert Hurd; 30-year-old Richard Ewart; 26-year-old Princess John and a 16-year-old girl.

"We cannot use that to lose faith in our policemen and women. There are professional officers around, and we must have faith in the efforts that they make to protect us."

The police allege that over a period of approximately two years, the cop and his accomplices robbed returning residents of millions of dollars worth of goods.

This led to prospective returnees voicing serious concerns about the level of crime and violence in Jamaica. While some have aborted their dream of remigrating to their homeland, many others have since returned.

Manchester is home to a vast segment of returning Jamaicans, and has several returning citizens groups such as the Central Manchester Returned Citizens' Association that has approximately 180 members.

This year, there has been only one reported case of crime against a returning/returned resident in Manchester.

Right direction

The parish is also experiencing record real estate and commercial growth, leading to a substantial population rise of both residents and commuters, including those whose intentions might not be honourable.

Mayor of Mandeville Brenda Ramsay, while conceding that Manchester had one of the lowest crime rates in the island, says she is still not satisfied.

"The Closed To Crime project has taken a step in the right direction to correct the ills that are happening," she tells The Gleaner. "I am looking forward to the installation of the cameras, because this will go a far way in assisting the police in making detections and clearing up some of these infractions that are taking place."

"Superintendent Bayliss and his team have done a wonderful job with the limited resources that they have, but we can make it a lot easier if we are willing to stand in support of our officers and fight the monster of crime," she adds.

Endorsing the sentiments of the Mayor, head of the CTCI, Robert Cunningham, concludes, "The more individuals can start to take care of themselves and send messages to criminals that first, don't try it; second, if you try it you are going to get caught; and third, if you get caught, it is going to be sticky for you when you are caught, then the less criminal activity you are likely to see.

mark.titus@gleanerjm.com