ACTING POLICE Commissioner Owen Ellington has listed reducing crime with special emphasis on murder as his major priority for the period he leads the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

Addressing the police executive management group yesterday, Ellington declared that special attention would be placed on a murder-reduction strategy with emphasis on coordinated countergang operations allied with aggressive road policing.

"The restoration of public safety and confidence will visibly manifest itself by an increase in beat and motorised patrols in public spaces where there are usually large concentrations of people," Ellington said.

He listed bus parks, shopping districts, markets and banking areas as public spaces where there will be increased police presence.

Boost to traffic control

According to Ellington, while he is satisfied with the present traffic-control arrange-ments in Kingston and St Andrew, these will be bolstered and improved in the coming weeks.

The acting commissioner also said he would be meeting with the men and women of the force in geographic and non-geographic formations as quickly as possible to hear from them and to explain, in detail, his priorities.

In the meantime, Ellington has already found himself face to face with one of the major problems facing the force: allegations of extra-judicial killings.

He is slated to receive preliminary reports today from the Bureau of Special Investigations, following the fatal shooting by the police of Michael Brown in Kingston 10 on Saturday night, and the fatal shooting of Teroy Bonner in Kitson Town, St Catherine, on Sunday.

The police personnel involved in both incidents have been taken off front-line duties while the investigations take place.