... Change of commanding officer will have no effect on crime, say residents

OMAR ROBINSON, president of Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, does not support the reassigning of Senior Superintendent of Police Marlon Nesbeth, who will be replaced by SSP Warren Campbell on November 8 as head of the St James Police Division.

“This is not good. We need a steady hand in Montego Bay, who can guide the process and improve the crime situation. As soon as you get used to one, he or she is suddenly removed,” said Robinson.

The sentiment on the streets is similar, as worried residents hoping and praying for a fix to crime think the transfer of Nesbeth is merely cosmetic and will not make any difference to the spike in homicides, There have been 254 murders in St James since the start of the year – just 10 short of last year’s record 264.

“A mus draughts (a board game) di commissioner deh play. Every three month, dem change commanding officer and di crime still a beat wi,” a frustrated taxi operator told The Gleaner. “If di commissioner tink him have di answer, why him don’t station himself inna MoBay and tek charge a tings?”

Interestingly, just hours before the announcement of his transfer, Nesbeth was on the radio conceding that, outside of Mt Salem, the zone of special operations was having very little spill-over effect on the general state of the violence in St James.