Stakeholders out west attribute resurgence of nightlife to less crime

Stakeholders in western Jamaica are reporting a resurgence of nightlife and evening activities which had been curtailed due to fears sparked by rampant crime, including murders. The revival follows recent significant declines in criminal activities across the region.

Spiritual leader, Bishop Oneil  Russell, head of the Ark of the Covenant Apostolic Church in the gritty inner-city community of Cooke Street, commonly called ‘Twelve Street’ in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, said recently that attendance at night services is steadily increasing, as well as church membership, which declined sharply in the face of widespread blood-letting.

The clergyman, who is also a former violence interrupter with the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) in Westmoreland, said, "We are now able to keep church a bit later in the nights. We used to have to stop like maybe 8:30 pm, or maybe we don't keep any at nights. Now we go on until 10 O'clock. That's really enough because we do (need to) allow persons to go out because, remember, persons also come inside the community to church from different areas."

He added: "Also, when you look at the church membership now, there is a bit more increase, or in attendance, because now they realise that the crime is going down."

However, he was quick to note that the fear factor is not fully overcome, especially among those who were victims of crime, or who may have lost loved ones to violence in the past.

"So to be honest, it is a bit different now than the previous times. We are getting there," he said.

Odette Dyer, Jamaica Tourist Board's (JTB) Regional Director, argued that there is a noticeable upsurge of night activities in communities across the western section of the island again.

"You can see the re-emergence of these night-time activities: the street dancing, the merrymaking, the get together: the domino  tables are out, the soup pans are back out, the music is back out, and people are back out. Streets are lined with cars, etcetera.

“So this has been a good thing and it tells me there is some level of comfort and confidence that people are feeling, and you are hearing that from the numbers that the police are giving you, that the numbers of homicides are down," she said.

She attributed the increase in night-time activities to the decline in crime.

"I guess that the people in the communities are recognising this, and they feel much safer now, so they are re-emerging in the space with their activities, and it is a good feeling," said Dyer.

Clinical Coordinator for the Western Regional Health Authority, Dr Delroy Fray, disclosed that for the first two months of the year, the data is showing that there has been a sharp decrease in reports of gunshot injuries, in comparison to the same period last year.

He said for the first two months last year there were 37 gunshot victims, in comparison to 10 for the corresponding period this year.

"If you compare two months last year with two months this year, gunshot wounds decreased by 27 (instances)," said Fray.

National Security Minister, Dr Horace Chang, on Thursday disclosed that police data shows that murders have declined by over 30 per cent since the start of the year.