By Ruth Coombs, Freelance WriterLINSTEAD:
THE ST. CATHERINE police said yesterday that order and calm has now been restored in the old capital of Spanish Town. This follows a gun feud which began Sunday night forcing business people to close down their shutters earlier than usual.
The police said security has been considerably beefed up, including foot patrol and bike patrols.
Yesterday several taxi operators plying the Linstead to Spanish Town route parked their vehicles for a period in fear of the violence but, eventually, resumed service.
The police are calling on commuters, particularly students, not to loiter at the bus terminus, the area in which most of the violence is concentrated, but to hurry home after work or school.
The Gleaner noted that crowds were smaller than usual at the Spanish Town Shopping Centre, although security has also been beefed up there. Vendors along Oxford Street and Brunswick Avenue have vacated the area for fear of violence.
The Gleaner was unable to find out what started the violence but, according to several business persons in the area, it could have been political. Others are saying it is a gang feud. Meanwhile, personnel at the out-patient department of the Spanish Town Hospital said that the ongoing violence in Spanish Town and environs is placing a strain on the medical resources at the hospital.
They said the shortage of blood has also been aggravated by the violence.
