Cops target election hot spots
By Lavern Clarke, Senior Staff Reporter

THE WESTERN police have identified 36 potential areas for trouble on Election Day, a third of which are located in and around Montego Bay, and has set up a special reaction team to handle any conflict.

Called the Police Support Unit (PSU), the team, which has been trained in riot control and handling violent situations, will be deployed as they are alerted to trouble in what the commanding officer for Area One, Assistant Commissioner of Police Linton Latty, calls "potential flashpoints".

It is one of several strategies to contain flare-ups on October 16, and will complement regular patrols and operations teams at the area and divisional levels.

Latty said his division ­ comprising the parishes of St. James, Trelawny, Westmoreland and Hanover ­ had identified areas where the flare-ups are likely to be, based on "previous experience and security intelligence."

Past elections have seen trouble emerging in areas such as Flankers, Hendon/Norwood, and Canterbury, and other low-income communities in the city of Montego Bay ­ as well as parts of Westmoreland.

But on Wednesday, Latty named 12 areas in St. James, and eight each in Trelawny, Hanover and Westmoreland as communities to watch, insisting that while the Constabulary was "not anticipating trouble at every spot," it has identified potential areas for problems. The PSU and other personnel, he said, will be ready to react from their base at the four parish headquarters within the Area One division.

Latty refused to comment on the number of troops under his command, but St. James, which is the largest operational area in the division and seat of the Area One headquarters, has close to 500 personnel in its regular detachment, and had its fleet boosted with 15 of the new police cars.

HELP FROM JDF

The ACP says the numbers will be augmented by Jamaica Defence Force personnel, the Island Special Constabulary, district constables, and 3,020 trained parish special constables, also known as 'one-day police'.

His colleague with responsibility for Area Three, which includes the south coast parishes of St. Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon, was more forthcoming ­ noting that he commands a corps of approximately 600, and that there are no plans to boost police personnel.

"We have been promised military assistance, but we're still operating with the same strength," said ACP Carlton Maddix.

"We need more," he told The Gleaner, referring to both personnel and vehicles.

The 600 are also to be boosted by close to 4,000 parish specials, but Area Three got none of the new vehicles acquired for the Jamaica Constabulary to assist with its election duties. Maddix said the Police High Command was seeking to address his transportation problems by hiring buses to move his personnel.

"We will operate within the constraints," he said. "There's no use in pining over what we don't have."

The division has eight flashpoints, but the ACP said he is inclined to add Hatfield to the list, given Sunday night's incident in which buses bearing PNP supporters were stoned as they passed through the Manchester community, damaging the vehicles and injuring several passengers.

"We're not sure that it was people from Hatfield who launched the attack, but we are not ruling it out," said the police commander.

He adds, however, that the police were heartened Tuesday at the friendliness of the rivalry exhibited during a campaign tour in which Opposition supporters bedecked in green threw friendly jeers at their PNP counterparts ­ later socialising with them, he said, in an atmosphere reminiscent of old time campaigning.

Flashpoints in rural areas

ST. JAMES

Flankers

Mt. Salem

Canterbury

Glendevon

Railway Lane

Hart Street

Rosemount

Barrett Town

Adelphi

Granville

Norwood

Catherine Hall

HANOVER

Lucea

Sandy Bay

Hopewell

Green Island

Dias

Logwood

Santoy

Montpelier

TRELAWNY

Rio Bueno

Falmouth

Wakefield

Troy

Warsop

Albert Town

Duanesvale

Clark's Town

WESTMORELAND

Savanna-la-Mar

Frome

Petersfield

Little London

Grange Hill

Darliston

Belmont

Whitehouse

ST. ELIZABETH

Barbary Hall

Middle Quarters

Top Hill

MANCHESTER

Grey Ground

Greenvale

Georges Valley

CLARENDON

Farm

York Town