Dis n’ Dat

Wednesday,  February 9, 2006

Jamaican Diaspora encouraged to work with Police to fight crime

A panel of senior Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) officers have called on Jamaicans in the Diaspora to work with the JCF to fight crime.
The team of three, which included Deputy Commissioner, Charles Scarlett of the Intelligence Unit, Assistant Commissioner Glenmore Hinds of Operation Kingfish and Inspector VC Campbell of the Narcotics Unit were speaking at a recent community forum in Miami.

The officers also used the opportunity to outline measures already in place to eradicate crime and violence in the country.

Speaking to some 200 persons at the Holy Family Episcopal Church in North Miami, Deputy Commissioner Charles said citizens must be prepared to give the support, intelligence and information, which would help the police to function effectively.

The panellists assured the audience of confidence and trust in reiterating their call for alliances with Jamaican nationals in overseas communities, as they noted, some of the crimes were organized from abroad.

While there was concern that young people under the age of 30 committed the majority of crimes and acts of violence, the panellists said that there were discussions to find productive means to socialize the young people to contribute positively to the nation’s development.

Meanwhile, some 455 youth clubs are now functioning in local communities throughout the island while a Safe Schools’ Programme was implemented to allow the youth and the police to engage interactively in various productive programmes.

In this regard, resource officers have been assigned to work with students at several schools islandwide.

On the issue of corruption in the Force, it was reported that some 60 officers have been removed from active duty, in an effort to eliminate such practices, through the establishment of a Professional Standards Branch (PSB) last year.

In addition, under the anti-corruption policy along with the PSB, incidents of corruption among police personnel will be investigated and dealt with in an effort to enhance accountability and ensure acceptable standards.

The panellists pointed to a four per cent reduction in total major crimes as the JCF continued its efforts to reduce crime. Some 692 illegal firearms were recovered last year, while a number of major gangs were dismantled under Operation Kingfish.

Under this Operation, Assistant Commissioner Hinds assured, local law enforcement agencies were working in partnership with international counterparts from the United Kingdom, the USA and Canada in the areas of intelligence, operation and investigation.

According to Assistant Commissioner Hinds, a recent comparative analysis had identified significant impact in the reduction in some major crime prone communities. For example, in St Catherine North statistics for the period 1 November to 31 December 2005, revealed that murder and shooting had shown nearly 46 and 54 per cent reduction when compared with the corresponding period in 2004.

In seeking to cripple the illegal drug trade, Detective Campbell spoke of the significant reduction in the narcotics activities as teams of local and international law enforcement agencies have been working to seize large shipments of narcotics within and outside of the island’s territorial waters. He also mentioned the destruction of local marijuana nurseries, the disabling of illegal airstrips and the confiscation of boats.

According to Detective Campbell, the arrests of major drug dons have also contributed to the reduction in drug related transshipment activities.
He spoke of concerted efforts to continue to secure borders to deter lawbreakers from finding ingenuous means of getting contraband into the island.

In outlining some of the initiatives to enhance investigative capabilities in the Force, the panellists mentioned efforts to increase personnel to 10,000 by 2007. They also informed that upgrading and enhancing surveillance and forensic equipment had been sourced to effectively facilitate and restore information and create new legislation.

Commending the recently appointed Commissioner of Police, Lucius Thomas, for his efforts to build morale and motivate officers of the JCF, they assured the audience that relentless efforts were being made to encourage and rebuild trust and confidence and interaction with communities throughout the island.

Also addressing the audience were Jamaica’s Consul General, Ricardo Allicock and Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board member to the Southeast USA, Dahlia Walker-Huntington, who both encouraged unity in helping the police in its efforts to eradicate crime.

The event was jointly hosted by the members of the Florida chapter of the Jamaica Ex-Police Association and the Jamaica Diaspora Foundation.

Alcoa committed to Expansion Programme

Alcoa remains committed to the US$1.2 billion expansion programme at its Jamalco alumina refinery in Clarendon, which would see the Halse Hall plant doubling its production at the completion of the project.

The first phase of the expansion - called the Early Works Programme (EWP) - has already begun. The US$77 million Early Works Programme is expected to employ some 400 workers at its peak later this year, with completion scheduled for November. 

Critical design work is already being done in earnest, in anticipation of the major construction works, which will see approximately 3,500 persons being employed.

A major aspect of the expansion project is the construction of a power house, which will utilise Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The Jamaican Government is currently negotiating with Trinidad on the supply of LNG, and these discussions have to be completed before the project can go ahead.

Vice-President of Advanced Planning and Infrastructure at Alcoa, Jerome Maxwell, who is also a Director of Jamalco, explained that the LNG-generated equipment would result in greater efficiency.

“As soon as these negotiations between Jamaica and Trinidad are completed, we will move ahead with the project to build the power house,” Mr Maxwell pointed out.

“The commitment to this expansion project by Alcoa is firm and resolute,” Mr Maxwell emphasized, adding that in this era of globalization, Alcoa needed to remain competitive and its Jamaican operations were an important aspect of that strategy of competitiveness.
“Jamaica is definitely on,” said an upbeat Mr Maxwell.

Jamaican immigrant films Queensbridge Housing Project 

For many, in the 1990’s, Queensbridge, the nation’s largest public housing project, in Queens, NY, was a area that many dreaded wandering near at nights out of fear of being shot at, raped or killed.

But for Jamaican-immigrant Selena M Blake, who has been living in the project since 1987, Queensbridge, then and now, is a place where residents in this low-income community look out for each other – from the bus drivers and postal workers to the drug dealers.

As she states, “The majority of Queensbridge residents are hardworking multi-cultural, multi-ethnic families trying to make ends meet; keeping their children off streets and in schools.”

And the 43-year-old single mother decided to show the world the side of Queensbridge few know. With no money except her credit cards, Blake decided to create a film on the 3,142-unit complex. Today, she’s completed her goal, despite having maxed out several credit cards. But ‘Queensbridge: The Other Side,’ is now a reality.

Interestingly, Blake, formerly of Old Harbour/Marlie Mount, Jamaica, a commercial model and actress who has appeared in walk-ons and speaking roles on ‘Changing Lanes,’ and television programmes like HBO’s ‘Sex and the City,’ had no film directing, scripting or editing experience before embarking on this project.

But that was no deterrent. She paid Gregory O Larkin, a filmmaker she met at a party, $200 per week to teach her to operate a camera. And she also coaxed him to join her on the project. Together they conducted 82 interviews and shot 75 hours of film, which was later, edited down to the 56 minute documentary that is now available on DVD. It chronicles the lives and times of residents past and present and features interviews with NBA’s Ron Artest, Rap Artist Havoc from Mobb Deep, New York Supreme Court Judge Carol Edmead, Rap Originator Marley Marl, Broadway & Hollywood Actor Mel Johnson and Harvard Graduate Todd Craig.

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