A section of the town square in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland. File
Karrie Williams, Gleaner Writer
WESTMORELAND:Stakeholders in Westmoreland have intensified calls for security cameras to be installed in the town centre of Savanna-la-Mar to arrest the increasing incidence of crime in the town.
According to Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Commanding Officer for Westmoreland, Superintendent Carol McKenzie, although current statistics show a 27 per cent fall in the overall crime figures since the start of the year, compared to the corresponding period last year, security cameras would be helpful in curtailing small crimes such as petty theft.
"In recent times, we have been having some incidence of larceny - that is, persons grabbing handbags and chains, etc - and we want to limit such occurrences. Security cameras raise the fear of detection by would-be criminals, and ultimately, they will assist in identifying perpetrators," he said.
During his contribution to the 2013-14 Sectoral Debate in Parliament last month, Minister of National Security Peter Bunting said the JCF would be expanding surveillance via closed-circuit television (CCTV) during the next financial year to detect criminal offences in public spaces. At the time, he said the necessary equipment had already been installed in several towns, including Mandeville, May Pen, Montego Bay, and Half-Way Tree.
But Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar and Chairman of the Westmoreland Parish Council Bertel Moore, said the security cameras were needed within the town and that the local authority would welcome a joint venture with commercial interests to have them installed.
HELP FROM BUSINESS COMMUNITY
"I would definitely say cameras are needed in some areas in Savanna-la-Mar such as Darling Street, Rose Street, and along Great Georges Street. It would be helpful if the business community would come on-board with the parish council to aid in the implementation of these systems for Sav-la-Mar," he said.
Over in neighbouring Montego Bay, where security cameras have been installed and have been in operation since the latter part of 2012, Deputy Mayor Michael Troupe, while not referencing any specific numerical data, told Western Focus that the CCTVs were already reaping rewards.
"Already, we can see the reduction in pickpocket robberies and other petty crimes in MoBay. Based on how crime and violence are being committed throughout the world, if we are going to fight them effectively, we need to be assisted by the use of technology," Troupe said.
Security cameras were installed in the town of Mandeville by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce in June 2009 after the chamber, along with the Ministry of National Security, the Manchester Parish Council, service clubs, and other stakeholders embarked on the 'Closed to Crime Initiative', which was aimed at reducing criminal activities in the parish.
Several weeks later, then commanding officer for the Manchester, Superintendent Ryland Salmon, reported that the initiative had aided the police in significantly reducing crime in the parish.
Salmon had reported at the time that on the first day of operations, 162 traffic offenders were caught and that many illegal acts by rogue bus operators and taxi operators were halted. He said pickpockets and sellers of contraband goods were detained, and one of them pleaded guilty and was fined in court. He also said a would-be rapist was identified prior to attempting the act.
Reports also surfaced out of Mandeville stating that larceny was down from at least four per day to less than two per week. A total of 110 traffic tickets for various breaches were issued by the police within two days of the camera installation, resulting in a less congested and more orderly town.