Thursday, July 15, 2004
Jamaicas crime rate is continuing to rise with 55 persons murdered in 11 days, pushing the total to 743 since January of this year. Last month 150 people were murdered. However, some churches in the troubled areas have been working on programs in their communities to help reduce the high levels of crime.
The Jamaican Minister of National Security, while conceding that the police were ill-equipped to effectively tackle the crime problem has been saying that several strategies were to be changed. He said the Government had ordered a shipment of new vehicles for the police force, and the first batch is to arrive by early August.
Police Commissioner Francis Forbes, seen here assuring an elderly Jamaican that every little thing will be all right, said that several platoons of Jamaica Defence Force soldiers are to be deployed on the streets to assist the police, with special attention being given to areas with a high crime rate.
|