MORE PEOPLE are convinced that Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas is doing a good job, compared to those who believe that he has been largely ineffective.
This is one of the findings of a recent poll conducted for the Gleaner Company by Don Anderson and his team of researchers from Market Research Services Limited. A nationally-representative sample of 1,037 persons aged 18 years and over was interviewed in all parishes across the island. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent. Fieldwork was conducted between June 2 and 20, 2005.
Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas took over the reins of office in February this year following the resignation of Francis Forbes. Mr. Thomas took office at a time when crime statistics pointed to an increase in the number of murders within the country. There was no honeymoon period for him as a result and he had to move immediately to deal with the critical problems he faced.
Operation Kingfish was one of his early initiatives and there is a perception that this new crime-fighting body has been reasonably successful.
In the last month, he has turned his attention to problems of corruption within the very force that he heads.
To this extent, there has been a crackdown on some illegal activities over the last month, the break-up of a car-stealing ring being a case in point.
He has repeatedly said corrupt police personnel are at various levels of the force and he has vowed to deal with this problem.
Although having been in office just four months, a significant number of persons think that Commissioner Thomas is already doing a good job and rate his performance good to excellent.
Strongest support for the commissioner comes from older persons over 45 years of age.
