Senior Superintendent of Police Marlon Nesbeth, the commanding officer for the St James Police Division, is urging residents of rural communities to be more proactive in reporting suspicious persons who move into their neighborhoods as according to him, criminals tend to seek refuge in these areas.

Nesbeth made the appeal while addressing residents of Adelphi during a community walk-through conducted by members of the parish’s police hierarchy on Wednesday.

EMBRACING WRONG

“One of the things that happens in a community like this is the readiness of some people to embrace wrong and the people who do wrong,” said Nesbeth. “Criminals abound in St James and Jamaica, and if we give them haven and hug them up, they will find refuge in lovely communities like this one.”

“When you see those persons in your midst, find a way to tell us, and we will act on it,” continued Nesbeth. “When these criminals come and seek refuge and assimilate in your community, before you know it, you need more burglar bars and you can’t venture out even in the days, and your kids are at risk of being influenced to do all types of wrongs.”

The St James crime chief also urged the residents to develop closer relations with the police and to maintain community groups to keep each other safe.

Adelphi is one of the districts ranked as having low to medium levels of crime in the troubled St James police division, which has recorded over 220 murders since the start of this year.

Since the imposition of the nation’s first zone of special operations in Mt Salem on September 1, criminals from several volatile communities have been fleeing in droves to other parts of the parish in search of safe havens.