Skip to main content

I take this personal. News like this is not good at all.


News
 
Migrant criminals drifting to St Elizabeth
Jamaica Observer

Migrant criminals drifting to St Elizabeth
BY GARFIELD MYERS Editor-at-Large, South Central Jamaica 
Thursday, August 11, 2011

BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — CHIEF of police in St Elizabeth, Superintendent Maurice Robinson is urging residents of the parish to "come forward and give information" on criminals from elsewhere, whom he says are now in the parish in "significant" numbers.

Robinson told Observer West that most of the "migrant criminals" had drifted to St Elizabeth from St James, St Catherine, Clarendon, Westmoreland, and Manchester. He said "information/intelligence" reaching the police suggested they were behind the "majority of murders and robberies in the parish..."

In the context of the wider Jamaica, St Elizabeth is routinely considered a low-crime area but for locals it is a major concern.

Statistics provided by the Planning Institute of Jamaica shows that in 2010 there were 21 murders in the parish down from 30 the previous year.

Robinson said that trends thus far this year indicated the murder figure for 2011 in St Elizabeth could be higher than last year with "three more murders up to June" compared to the same period in 2010.

He said many of the criminals migrating to St Elizabeth, especially those from St James, were involved in lotto scams and had "taken root" in the Maggotty and Santa Cruz areas.

Available information suggested that increased competition among scammers in St James had resulted in some choosing to move to "quieter" and more rural areas such as St Elizabeth.

In a bid to "flush out criminals and bring them to book" the St Elizabeth police were executing special operations across the parish, Robinson said.

In one such operation, last Friday night, St Elizabeth police "engaged a group of gunmen in Maggotty and it is believed that a reputed gangster from Granville in St James was shot and injured", the St Elizabeth police chief said.

"Aggressive road policing in specific areas", would be an ongoing strategy as well, he continued.

Noting that the police were concerned at the considerable number of illegal guns now circulating in the parish, Robinson urged residents to exercise "greater care and awareness" of their surroundings and to always keep the police informed of anything or anyone that may appear out of place in their communities.

Against a backdrop of robberies being reported in some towns, particularly Santa Cruz and Junction, Robinson said business operators needed to recognise that the environment had changed.

"Many people seem to think that because this is St Elizabeth, certain crimes can't happen here, but the truth is things have changed. The towns of Santa Cruz and Junction particularly have seen significant growth in residential population and commercial entities, and people need to take into consideration the emerging and changing crime trends," said Robinson.

He is reminding business operators that the police are available to assist with the movement of cash over short distances "at no cost". Everyone, he said, needed to be more aware and cautious.

The bottom line, he said, is that "the residents of the parish must come to grips with the reality that organised crime is alive and well in the parish and that St Elizabeth can't isolate itself from the rest of the country. We all have to join hands in this fight against criminality".

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Traditional Jamaican Medicines- The Guinea-Hen Weed

UPDATED: October 24, 2015-  My Testimony  Last year I decided that for my 40 something birthday I would gift myself a mammogram. It was my first time and it was an uncomfortable experience. A couple of days after the screening I received a call from the Dr., she told me that there was a small spot on my breast that they will need to a second mammogram to determine what it could be. She assured me that it could be nothing and I should not panic. Well, I was concerned and decided that for the next 7 days to the 2nd appointment I would take a shot glass full of the Guinea hen weed (GHW) that I have been soaking in a corner for a few months. My mother had set the bottle up for me but I never really paid it much attention. I knew what people said GHW was good for and if there was ever a time to "test" it that time was now. After a week of GHW consumption I returned to the clinic for my follow up appointment. Needless to say, the results came back clean. I know there were many p
1 comment
Read more

Delicious Bitterness!

Cooking with Bitter Melon ( Momordica Charantia) One of my favorite TV show is the Food Network's "Chopped". The basket intrigues me and the chefs' response to a challenging basket and a ticking clock is nothing short of dramatic. On one episode the chefs were challenged with the Bitter Melon, an ingredient I grew up knowing as "Foo Gaw". The Bitter Melon is from the same family as the Jamaican herbal tea Cerasee and has an equally acerbic taste as the dreaded tea that we would have to drink whenever we had a bellyache or needed some form of "washout".  Anyway, back to "Chopped", the Bitter Melon bowled over a few of the chefs who had no idea how to cook it. One chef just sliced it up and put it in a salad, I felt sorry for the judges who would have to taste that because I am all too familiar with its taste. Needless to say, that episode brought back memories of my father and his love for the bitter melon and how much that influence
Post a Comment
Read more

What to do with all those HOT Peppers!

My love affair with hot peppers is no secret. I have written about it and I have been subject to many "cuss off" because I use too much when I cook. Recently, we acquired the Chocolate Scotch Bonnet plant and the tree has been bearing out of control. Below is my mostly unedited video on how to quickly use excess hot peppers. Below is my original blog post about my lover. ENJOY and your comments are welcome. UPDATE: I now have a chocolate habanero plant and I must admit that it is very very HOT! NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP! Originally Posted: May 2, 2011 My recent Lenten sacrifice had me thinking about the things that I would and would not give up for any period of time. I mentioned chocolate in my previous post, the other would be hot peppers, raw, not processed, just sliced and devoured. At least 1-2 fruits a day, on everything. Yes, I love my peppers and Scotch Bonnets are my favorites. We had one plant that perished in the cold spell, so for a few
1 comment
Read more

DISCLAIMER

This blog is not here to diagnose a medical condition, or replace your health care provider. However, I hope to inspire you to become healthier, more self sufficient, and more aware of alternative options to your healthcare. I have provided my own and the testimonies of others as to how different products or procedures have worked from them. This is all a part of information gathering not hard and fast recommendations.I hope to aid you in your own personal research and study and I have provided research links for your further study into any topic. Nothing I say has been evaluated by the FDA, I am a Ph.D. but not a medical doctor, so naturally I do not prescribe medications or recommend for anyone to stop taking medications without first consulting with their Doctor. ALWAYS CONSULT your personal PHYSICIAN. You have a choice to use what I share is at your own risk.I will never share any product or information that we don’t fully endorse, its simple, if I love something I will share it. I am not paid to do so. Please enjoy my blog, share it and follow. There are some good things on here.

Dr. C.P. Lee