By Erica James-King, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
ON THE SURFACE, Racecourse/Falmouth Gardens in Trelawny seems like a normal community with residents going through the motions of earning a living and basking in amicable community rapport.
But gone are the days of peace and quiet and friendly community spirit. For the last 12 weeks, guns bark both day and night, as Racecourse/Falmouth Gardens remains under siege from 'gunboys'. Residents have been transformed into a nervous bunch, who cower behind doors at night.
"You can't sit outside on your verandah anymore, once night come down. The pickney dem even fraid of coming home late from school, " complained Dawn Patrick, as her voice quivered with frustration.
FIRST TIME
This single mother, who has lived in the community for the last 16 years, says this is the first time that she has felt like a prisoner in her own house. Scores of other residents share her sentiments.
"There is a set o' youth, dressed in black with caps pulled down over their face, who patrol the streets at nights with guns. Some also cover their faces with masks. Dem rob and beat up people, and shoot up di place," lamented Ms. Patrick. "If you happen to be on the verandah or fall in dem way, you get hurt."
Reports reaching The Gleaner are that most of the infighting is between young teenagers who live 'Ova Hill' (at the top or highest part of the community) and 'Bottom Racecourse'.
Ms. Patrick agrees that the community has been divided into two main factions ever since two teenagers were shot to death in the area last October. "The man dem from Ova Hill can't go down the Bottom, and vice versa. There's an invisible line them dare not cross."
Meanwhile, residents contend that the cemetery in the community is another hot spot where persons are robbed, shot, beaten up and even raped.
They are heaping blame on the police for not maintaining law and order in the area, saying that once the police are summoned when violence escalates, they take hours to respond to pleas for help.
One female resident related an act of terror. "Last week Tuesday, Ova Hill man dem come down the Bottom in broad daylight, knock off the people dem door and threaten and beat them up, and not a police come to the people rescue, even long after."
Persons from the community who spoke to The Gleaner are calling on the Police High Command to send in the Special Anti-Crime Task Force or a similar squad to nab the criminals. They say they lack confidence in the ability of the Trelawny police to combat the criminals running riot in the community.
FREE UP THE COMMUNITY
"We want a Reneto Adams fi clean up the area and free up the community," another resident shouted.
But the Trelawny police insist that they are committed to crushing crime in Racecourse/Falmouth Gardens and its environs. Superintendent Cecil Fletcher, commanding officer for Trelawny, says guns are being distributed in the community, so the fact that youngsters are heavily armed has added to the stiff challenges facing the police in that area.
Pointing out that Racecourse /Falmouth Gardens is also hard to police because of its mixed bag of swampy terrain and large lakes, Superintendent Fletcher, says his team is devising a strategy to effectively deal with the situation.
"The gunmen usually escape to an island situated in one of the lakes, where it is hard for the police to reach them. But we intend to correct that situation," said Superintendent Fletcher.
He reveals that in a bid to tighten the reins on criminal activity in the parish, a SWAT team was set up during the last week of May, and will be operating on a 24-hour basis to carry out raids and provide quick response to affected residents.
