By Denise Clarke and Nagra Plunkett, Staff Reporters
Superintendent of Police Newton Amos (left) expressing disgust at those whom he calls Montego Bay's 'high-society hypocritical drug dealers', during yesterday's Gleaner Editors' Forum at the company's Montego Bay, St. James offices. At right is Senior Superintendent Paul Ferguson. - Patrick Campbell/Freelance Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
HUGE SUMS of drug money are flowing into the financial network of St. James, making it difficult for law enforcers to act against the surge of crime that has overtaken the parish, Commanding Officer, Superintendent Newton Amos, declared yesterday.
Branding Montego Bay as a "drug den", the Superintendent blasted civil society, politicians, and even members of the police force for giving support to the criminal elements in the society, as he addressed a Gleaner Editors' Forum in the Second City.
THE MR. BIGS
"They are the Mr. Bigs. They are those who contain and control and support these criminals with weaponry and money so that they are able to evade the police from time to time," said Supt. Amos. "In some respect policemen are involved with them ...they support politicians ...they are in every sector of the society. The fact of the matter is that they have massive wealth, and power, they have influence they are able to cover their tracks."
The Superintendent pointed out that more than 50 per cent of the 97 murders committed in the parish this year were drug-related. So influential are the drug dons, he said, that the police were having a hard time apprehending any of these persons.
Also addressing the Forum, Dr. Horace Chang, Member of Parliament for St. James north west, admitted that drug trafficking provides a major source of employment in many of the communities in his constituency. He said guns and drugs were readily available in many sections of Montego Bay, and weapons such as a .38 revolver, were as commonplace as a 'boy carrying a penknife to school.'
"The drug problem is a part of the business in Montego Bay, in fact, while it is illegal, it is maybe one of the most lucrative employment sources in the inner-city communities. These are people who have lost hope or faith in the society and many of them have grown in a situation where they have lost their sense of compassion as well," Dr. Chang stated.
However, Elizabeth Hall, the chairperson for the Committee for the Upliftment for the Mentally Ill (CUMI), challenged the police to lead by example. She also lashed out at the remarks made by Senior Superintendent Paul Ferguson who admitted that while some of his colleagues did not keep information confidential, the public should still pass on information to the police.
"When I sit here and hear a policeman say that we know that some of our colleagues are not trustworthy but you must give us the information why should we put our lives on the line to give you information? I think that in Montego Bay we must demand more," Ms. Hall said. She was also upset at Supt. Amos' comments that he had to move away from the 'hardcore' methods he employed in South St. Andrew, as this sort of policing was not accepted in Montego Bay.
In defending his crime-fighting strategies, Supt. Amos noted that with tourism being the major factor in the city's economy, his approach towards crime-fighting had to be adjusted. In a fiery response to Ms. Hall's criticisms, he said the policemen and women are products of the society, and added that wayward officers should be judged on an individual basis.
"I will never allow anyone to 'dis' me, to make me feel inferior or out of place because I am a police officer. And when a police officer goes out there and misbehaves, let us deal with them individually but there are some bleeding heart liberals who move about this country and speak mealy-mouthed about the police," said Supt. Amos.
The Forum was held at the offices of the Gleaner Western Bureau.
