THE GANG warfare in Arnett Gardens, South St. Andrew, has shut down several schools and forced residents to flee the area. Our front-page report yesterday said several homes were broken into and robbed of appliances and other items, route taxi service was suspended and the affected area looked like a ghost town.
Incredibly, all this has happened without any indication of immediate police action, except for a comment from a senior officer that, on the basis of complaints from two women, measures would be put in place to prevent reprisals.
Are we to understand that all this commotion which triggered flights of residents from their homes on orders from marauding gunmen, took place without police intervention?
The conflicts between factions and apparent power struggles over leadership have caused harm to innocent residents and children whose lives have been disrupted; some were beaten and threatened.
The harsh realities of inner-city living conditions have been brought to public notice in recent times by agencies such as the Peace Management Initiative under the leadership of Bishop Herro Blair. The Bishop has described the jungle justice systems that prevail; thus, it is not surprising that factional leaders have apparently been allowed to 'run things' with impunity, generating fear as they order residents to leave the community. The breaking and entering and stealing of household items suggest that criminal motivation was part of the mix.
By yesterday morning there was a strong police/military presence in the area, unlike the situation earlier when there were several exchanges of gunfire between rival factions.
We are concerned that there may be some reluctance in the police rank and file, in particular, to deal with such outbreaks of factional violence. Such reluctance was expressed earlier this year when the chairman of the Police Federation sought to lobby against police being involved with 'zinc fence' communities, "having been trained as peacemakers and not soldiers".
Indeed current court cases involving policemen should prompt the Police High Command to be ready to deal with any deterioration in attitudes in the rank and file. Public safety must still be a police priority.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
