Bent

A spate of crime and the existence of a number of vacant lots overrun with shrubbery are some of the issues a new joint police-community partnership is expected to combat in Kingston's 'Golden Triangle'.

Head of the St Andrew Central Police Division, Superintendent Terrence Bent, Superintendent of Police Neville Knight, and President of the Trafalgar Council Joseph Cox disclosed the details of the new initiative in a specially convened meeting with the media at the Half-Way Tree Police Station last Friday.

The 'Golden Triangle', home to ambassadorial residences, pricey apartments and town houses as well as commercial establishments, encompasses sections of New Kingston stretching to its Hope Road border line.

The initiative, aimed at clamping down on an upsurge in crime, emanated from a meeting between the police and residents on July 15 at the Unity Moravian Church.

"We have seen within the last year some crimes there which would cause us concern," said Bent.

More work

One of those crimes includes the murder of a New Zealander at a guest house and a businessman who was killed on his way home.

"What this tells us is that the police and the citizens there need to do more work. We're happy for the opportunity put to us by the Seymour Lands' group and we plan to engage other communities within the St Andrew Central Division," Bent added.

Bent led the audience on a tour of sections of the 'Golden Triange' he labelled prime breeding grounds for criminality. The first stop was a large vacant lot at the corner of Seymour Avenue and Old Hope Road where condom wrappers and syringes were dumped, high-lighting the twin problems of prostitution and drug abuse that the lot accommodates.

Another lot the superintendent blacklisted lies at the intersection of Seymour and Montrose avenues - just a stone's throw from Vale Royal, the official residence of Jamaica's prime ministers.

Aside from cleaning up vacant lots, Bent said the new police-led thrust will include building intelligence and forging infor-mation-gathering partnerships with citizens.

"On the whole, the division is seeing some positive light in terms of some crimes, but the areas of robberies, larceny and break-ins are causing us concern and that is why this meeting ... is to engage the citizens on how they can make it harder for assailants and robbers to operate." Bent stated.

andrew.wildes@gleanerjm.com