Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter
Patrons doing last-minute shopping yesterday at Mega Mart on Waterloo Road, Kingston in preparation for Hurricane Dennis. - IAN ALLEN/STAFFPHOTOGRAPHER
THE JAMAICA Constabulary Force (JCF), private security firms, and the private sector were yesterday bracing themselves for the possibility of looting as a consequence of Hurricane Dennis. Looting normally increases during bad weather, police and security officials agree.
Head of the JCF's Operations Branch, Senior Superintendent Owen Ellington said police were currently on a hurricane standing order and would be repeating the same contingency plan which he said had been successful during Hurricane Ivan last September. Special attention he said, will be paid to commercial and retail areas most likely to be targeted by looters such as supermarkets and shopping plazas.
LOOTING
He added that: "Looting usually occurs when we have disasters because there are unscrupulous people who take advantage. We will be on special alert for looting, vandalism and public disorder. We will also assist with communications, evacuation, and if necessary, transport and security of shelters. Our efforts will be co-ordinated at a national level with ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management) and police representatives working alongside parish disaster committees."
Guardsman Ltd., said it had called all its management into work on a 24-hour alert; Hawkeye's armed response teams were not to be going home and King Alarm was 'beefing up' its staffing level in anticipation of the Hurricane.
Commenting on a possible increase in call outs, Managing Director Ricky Mahfood replied: "Absolutely, that's a given as unfortunately people see it as an opportunity to loot." A manager at King Alarm told The Gleaner: "Typically during rainfall there is the noise of the rain falling and then also thunder and lightening. Loud noises can therefore be muffled and shielded. It is also easier for them (looters) to move around because nobody is outside and watching them."
But Guardsman's Managing Director, Claude Clements, remained optimistic: "We had very little crime during Ivan as few people were on streets."
Beverly Lopez, President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) added: "There is always a concern in these circumstances because we have experience that heavy rain has been accompanied by looting."
She expressed confidence in the experience and preparedness of the JCF. "I trust that they will rise to the occasion and let's just hope this brings out the best in people."
