By Garwin Davis, Assistant News EditorBUSINESS INTERESTS in the resort towns of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay are calling on the Government to urgently address the problem of crime in their areas, charging that tourism could be seriously affected.
They say that while the situation is not as grave as in the Corporate Area and in other sections of the island, "it is bad enough to warrant serious concern."
"One of the things we have been able to say confidently over the years is that the resort towns for the most part have remained free from the scourge of crime," explains Sanju Chatani, Ocho Rios businessman. "There are signs, however, that this could be changing which is enough for everybody to be seriously worried. It is imperative that we do all we can to protect our tourism. It is pretty much all we got going for us right now."
Mr. Chatani's fear stems from the reported six shooting incidents which have taken place in Ocho Rios over the past week, including the slaying of a taxi driver. There have also been reports of a number of robberies and break ins.
"There's no reason, at least not yet, for panic but yes, we should all be concerned," one senior St. Ann police officer told The Gleaner yesterday. "We have had quite a few shooting incidents and a number of robberies but nothing as large-scale as we see in Kingston and St. Andrew. It's our hope though that we never get to that stage."
The officer also said despite complaints, there was still a problem with manpower and also a shortage of vehicles at the Ocho Rios Police Station, adding that the police were oftentimes hard pressed to respond to emergencies. "Policing in a resort town is a lot more difficult than in other areas," he said. "In addition to your regular day-to-day problems, we also have to deal with tourist-related problems, including visitor harassment."
Minister of National Security Dr. Peter Phillips, however, doesn't share this view. "I don't exactly know if it is true that policing is more difficult in a resort town as opposed to other areas," he said. "The fact is that there is a major crime problem facing the country and which understandably is affecting the resort towns. It is also a fact that most of that crime is concentrated in Kingston and St. Andrew. We have been recruiting more people in the police force and have been deploying them accordingly. We can't just create the bodies to put them in places...we have to rely on our recruitment exercise."
President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce Mark Kerr-Jarrett sees the Minister's response as a "cop out."
"We have been calling for additional officers to be deployed throughout Montego Bay for the past three years but to no avail," he said. "The Minister needs to realise that solving crime costs money. It can't be that they can't find the money to put more officers on the streets. We are 156 officers short in Montego Bay. We lost 56 this month through the transfer route and they are yet to be replaced. The Parliamentarians can find the money to give themselves a handsome pay raise but can't find the money to employ more police officers. This is the gateway city to the nation...the tourism capital of Jamaica...what has been happening is the height of recklessness and could cost this country dearly."
Mr. Kerr-Jarrett's call for more police officers for Montego Bay comes at a time when the resort city is being plagued by a spate of violent crimes which has seen a jump in the murder rate over the past month.
A police source in the city, however, noted that "most of the killings have been mostly in the inner-city communities and not where tourism would be affected." Asked if that wasn't still too close to home, he responded, "Of course...of course...I wasn't implying otherwise. The perception is what really matters and regardless of where in the city...yes, we do have a crime problem."
