Gareth Davis, Gleaner Writer

Portland:

Mayor of Port Antonio, Benny White, has appealed to the Ministry of National Security to address the severe shortage of police vehicles in the parish.

Mr. White said the two major police stations in the parish, the Port Antonio and the Buff Bay stations, are unable to carry out regular patrolling, as only one service vehicle is in roadworthy condition at either stations.

"Portland is virtually crime-free and we intend to keep it that way. But if the police are being handicapped in patrolling our towns, roads and borders - very soon criminal elements might use that to their advantage," the mayor said.

On October 3, patrol vehicles had to be drawn from three substations in the parish, to enable the transfer of prisoners to court in Buff Bay.

Severe shortage

Port Antonio Police Inspector, Wilfred Penn, admitted that they were experiencing a severe shortage of service vehicles, and that the police are without a security vehicle to transport prisoners to court in Buff Bay, which is about 18 miles away from the parish capital.

"The service vehicles which were drawn from three other stations, to transport prisoners, also include a highway patrol vehicle," he said. "The remaining vehicles are all suffering from defects, and are in dire need of repairs. Each time we are forced to withdraw a service vehicle from a particular station, the situation becomes vulnerable," Inspector Penn argued.