By Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
Police Commissioner Francis Forbes (foreground) and his deputy, Tilford Johnson, during yesterday's press conference at Forbes' Old Hope Road headquarters. - Norman Grindley /Staff Photographer
AS THE Police Force intensifies its fight against crime, a newly-created police division, bolstered by three of the country's leading crime-fighters, has been created to specifically focus on gangs, extortion rackets, dons and the illegal importation of guns and ammunition.
Police Commissioner Francis Forbes made the disclosure yesterday at a press conference at his Old Hope Road offices in St. Andrew.
The press conference was called to, among other things, explain the reasons behind the scrapping of the Reneto Adams-led Crime Management Unit (CMU) and the reassignment of its head.
THREE TO HEAD UNIT
The Commissioner said he had upgraded the Organised Crime Unit into a division, and renamed it the Organised Crime Investigation Division. Three Deputy Superintendents Cornwall 'Bigga' Ford, William Christie and Asmond Wright, will head up the unit.
"There will be, established within that division, a gang-penetration section dealing with operationalised intelligence coming from the gang intelligence section, which will continue to work with the National Intelligence Bureau, National Firearms Drug Intelligence Centre, Special Branch and the Military Intelligence Unit," explained Commissioner Forbes.
BRING COP KILLERS TO JUSTICE
Among its other function is the tracking and bringing to justice all persons responsible for the murder of policemen and women. According to the Commissioner, the stolen motor vehicle section will assume responsibility for an anti-car-jacking strategy in the Corporate Area, while divisional crime officers will be responsible for this function in rural areas.
Commissioner Forbes announced the changes two hours after a lengthy meeting with his three deputies and area officers. "The area officers have been directed to provide, no later than Monday, June 9, a written anti-crime initiative for the next 30 days, after which a full assessment will be made and determination arrived at, as to the duration of their next such plan," the Commissioner said.
Included in the Commissioner's new plan of modernising the Police Force is an officer safety policy to guide in areas such as training and reclassification in the use and care of firearms. A national safety officer will be appointed in each geographical division. The Police Commissioner said, too, that he will be meeting soon with Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Kent Pantry, to review a possibility of a formal agreement to fast-track all fatal shootings by the police.
