THE POLICE are examining proposals to beef up their presence on at least seven troublesome Jamaica Urban Transit Com-pany (JUTC) bus routes.
The seven routes are: 30 (Pembroke Hall); 32 (Duhaney Park); 70 (Three Mile); 77 (August Town); 78 (August Town); 83 (Mountain View); and 97 (Bull Bay).
The routes were identified by JUTC workers at a meeting with the police yesterday at Hope Road.
The workers were accompanied by their union leaders - Danny Roberts, vice-president of the Union of Clerical, Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) and Vincent Morrison, island supervisor of the affiliated National Workers Union (NWU). Assistant Commissioner of Police Charles Scarlett and other officers were also present. The JUTC management was also represented.
"It was a good meeting," Mr. Roberts said afterwards. He said they had outlined the difficulties and dangers faced by the JUTC bus crews on the routes. The unions made a number of proposals, including requests for regular checks and patrols on the routes and collaboration with the JUTC road staff to reduce the problem.
The police have also been asked to host a conciliatory meeting between the bus crews and the residents of Olympic Way who smashed several buses after the alleged fatal stabbing of a neighbour by a JUTC driver on Saturday.
The police are to study the proposals and meet again with the workers and the unions to give them their responses.
