Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Owen Ellington has sought to reassure the nation that the police are ready to deal with any eventualities that might arise from the passage of Hurricane Dean.

Hurricane Dean could be in Jamaica's territorial waters by late today, and computer models have shown that the hurricane could become an extremely dangerous Category Four storm by the time it moves over Jamaica.

ACP Ellington says the Jamaica Constabulary Force has alerted its commanders and has consulted with the parish disaster managers, the National Works Agency and the National Solid Waste Management Authority. He also revealed that they are moving to assess shelters to determine response.

Under the watch

With the possibility of looting occurring in the light of the storm, ACP Ellington said the commercial districts would be under the watch of the police.

"We have a systematic operation to deal with hurricane, and we have contingencies to deal with looting or anything that should occur. Our preparations have been embedded in our training, and we will be watching to see what happens."

ACP Ellington also said that if the hurricane does arrive, it would not affect election preparations. "Our election preparations have been finished and wrapped up for some time now. All we have been doing is waiting for the date, if the hurricane does cause the postponement of the date, our plans are so designed to be relevant for an election six months down the road."

Police assistance

Persons who need assistance during the hurricane can call police control at 927-7778 or the Constabulary Communication Network at 978-2214.