Residents of the troubled Steer Town community in St. Ann are again being encouraged to work with the police in an effort to rid their area of criminal elements and return some semblance of order to the community.Since the start of the year, there have been several violent incidents, which have resulted in four deaths and many shootings, including reported clashes with the police. Some residents, as well as business people across the parish, have expressed concerns that the violence in the area might spill over into other communities.The latest murder in the community occurred on Sunday night, March 22, when a woman was shot dead, reportedly in front of her two young children who were not harmed. They have been taken to another community to stay with relatives.
The woman has been identified as 29-year-old Marlett ‘ Munchie’ Briscoe of Gulf in the Steer Town. Briscoe was employed to RIU hotel.Commanding officer for the St. Ann police, senior superintendent Yvonne Martion Daley said the police have increased operations in the area including foot patrols to get into parts of the community, which cannot be accessed by vehicles.
SSP Yvonne Martin Daley is appealing to residents of Steer Town to engage the police in its efforts to rid the community of criminal activities.SSP Martin Daley said the police are cognizant of the upsurge in violence in Steer Town since the start of the year.“Steer Town has been a cause for concern especially since January of this year, since the beginning of this year we recognize what is known as an upsurge in violence,” SSP Martin Daley said. She said young people in the community are involved in gang war.The commanding officer said the police have been using various policing techniques, including regular police operations and other social interventions, to tackle crime in the area.“What we try to do is to engage the citizens in that area to advise them of the issues, who knows the problem, whoever have information to assist us, we have gone into the area, we have quite a bit of social intervention,” she said.“We have asked the political representatives to assist us, we have gone to the churches and the community groups that are there … the police have got to be very strategic, and so we have engaged the community,” she said. SSP Martin-Daley said quite a number of foot and motorised patrols as well as other operation are taking place in the area.
“We need to get the guns that these young people have, we need to get the community talking and we need to enable these young people to treat with conflicts without having to resort to violence because that is where the problem is.”She said the police have been talking to parents as well as going into the schools and talking to youngsters to get them to deal with conflicts without resorting to violence. She said it is a small number of persons who are engaging in such activities.“We are appealing to the citizens, we are appealing to the law abiding citizens to talk to the police,” she said people who want to give information can use any of the police emergency numbers at 311, 119 or call her office directly at 972-2331 or the commissioner’s office at 927-4421. “It is important for them to engage us, as we seek also to engage them, and parents talk to your children because it is so important for them to appreciate that what they are doing is wrong and I say children because quite a number of these young people who are engaged in these activities are young children,” (blurb)
