Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
Lucius Thomas (left) the Commissioner of Police, in discussion with Steve Evans, the president of the Rotary Club of Kingston, during a luncheon meeting of the club at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, yesterday. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
CALLING FOR the public to speak out whenever they have information about children being sexually molested, Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas says the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will be intensifying its efforts to crack down on carnal abuse cases.
Speaking at yesterday's Rotary Club of Kingston luncheon at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, the Police Commissioner said the key was to get people to give information to the authorities.
"People know when these things are happening. They must tell what they know," declared the Police Commissioner.
TEEN ASSAULT CASE
He was responding to queries about his views on the widely-publicised case of a 13-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by a group of teenage boys in the presence of a church deacon, who did nothing to stop the act.
The founder of the church to which the deacon belonged on Sunday chastised those who initially went public with the videotaped incident.
But yesterday, Mr. Thomas said he was encouraging members of the public not to keep quiet when they have information about children being sexually abused.
"I grieve on a daily basis for these youngsters. Too many of our young girls are being targeted and something must be done now," he said.
In 2004, there were 929 reported cases of children being sexually abused. In 2005, there were 8,275 victims of major crimes, with 24 per cent of this number being children.
The Police Commissioner noted that the nation's murder rate showed a steep decline of 25 per cent since the start of the year, compared with the same period last year. However, he explained, the rate of carnal abuse cases did not show a similar decline.
INCREASE IN CARNAL ABUSE
Up to June, the nation recorded a 40 per cent increase in carnal abuse cases compared with the same period last year. Mr. Thomas said the police and citizens must step up their efforts to combat the problem.
He said members of the police force, particularly the units that deal with rape and abuse cases, would be meeting to discuss how they could strengthen their fight against persons who commit these crimes. He, however, declined to give any more details on the meeting.
Mr. Thomas did not comment on details of the case involving the alleged sexual abuse of the 13-year-old girl, pointing out that the matter was before the courts. He did say, however, that he was saddened by what he had read in the press about the alleged crime. He added that he was disappointed that a church member did nothing to stop the alleged abuse.
Commissioner Thomas, however, noted that the police had a good relationship with the Church and often worked closely with members of the clergy to tackle crime.
