By Glenroy Sinclair and
Nagra Plunkett, Staff ReportersTHE PAST two weeks in Jamaica have been less bloody than usual as the incidence of murders took a significant nosedive from a weekly figure of 42 murders six weeks ago to 18 last week and 19 a fortnight ago.
Although as at yesterday the country's murder toll stood at nearly 800, the halving of the weekly murder rate over the past month-and-a-half should come as a welcome relief to law enforcers and government officials who are fast losing the confidence of the public to arrest the country's spiralling crime rate.
Opinion surveys conducted recently by pollster Don Anderson on behalf of The Gleaner has found that about 72 per cent of some 1,200 persons of voting age and over islandwide believe the Patterson administration is not doing enough to fight crime and violence. Only 27 per cent of the persons interviewed islandwide gave the Government a passing grade.
CLAMPDOWN ON DRUG TRADE
However, the Patterson administration has fared better in the rating it received for fighting the illicit drug trade. Although a majority of 56 per cent disapproved of Govern-ment's efforts, 41 per cent endorsed efforts to release the society from the grip of international narcotics traffickers. In recent months, local law enforcement officials have arrested high-profile alleged drug lords, two of whom have been named as 'drug kingpins' by the United States Government.
In commenting on the drop in the weekly murder rate yesterday, Acting Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas attributed this to the arrest of some of the key players affiliated with active criminal gangs across the island.
"We have reviewed and re-implemented a number of our strategies," he told The Gleaner yesterday.
This claim was substantiated by Superintendent John Morris, crime chief for the Area One Police Division in western Jamaica. He reported that key members of St. James' four most notorious gangs were being targeted by crime-fighters in their efforts to reverse the rate of violent crime in the division, which is being led by 84 murders to date.
"We have identified these gang members as persons who are contributing to the large percentage of murders and shootings in the parish and we will be pursuing them relentlessly," Superintendent Morris told The Gleaner.
HELP FOR POLICE
Commenting further on the status of crime-fighting, ACP Thomas said the police are in discussions with the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) to have several platoons dispatched to the crime hot spots within the next two weeks to assist the police. Among the high crime zones are Clarendon, St. James, St. Andrew South and St. Catherine North and South.
About two weeks ago, the Government called out the national reserves to assist the police with operational duties for a week, but they have since completed that tour of duty.
Pointing to available resources, Acting Commissioner Thomas said a number of the special crime-fighting units, including the Special Anti-Crime Task Force (SACTF), have been equipped with new and effective vehicles.
"These units are on the verge of breaking the criminal network," the Acting Commissioner said.
He added that a large number of police will be deployed on the weekend to keep a close watch on the funeral procession of Oliver 'Bubba' Smith, the reputed leader of the powerful 'One Order' Gang based in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, who was gunned down in St. Andrew several weeks ago.
