Community Focus: Police working to restore community's trust

Leroy Taylor, inspector of police at the Bethel Town Police Station in the crime-riddled Westmoreland Police Division, said the police are taking steps to foster better communication between the citizens and the police through sports and other community interactions.

"We are working with the councillor and other community stakeholders to have the football field and netball court cleared, in order to establish football and netball leagues that will bring the people of the (wider) communities together," Taylor said.

Bethel Town consists of nine smaller communities, including York, Galloway and Cedar Grove.

According to Taylor, the police have taken steps to restore trust between themselves and the people in these areas so that they can again feel encouraged to engage the police in a meaningful way.

That will put the police in a better position to manage and prevent crime.

Taylor said, "Plans are well advanced in the forming of a community club in the Bethel Town area. We are in dialogue with Deputy Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar and Councillor Danree Delancy of the Bethel Town division to help in mobilising the residents of Bethel Town and its adjoining communities to participate in the process."

He told WESTERN STAR that community members are asking for the club, and said he hoped that it would be operational by the end of November.

"We are hopeful that when the club is established, it will help in bridging the gap between the police and the residents," he said.

"There is a culture problem in Bethel Town. People don't speak to the police about the crime. But right now we are having a relatively calm period, and this is as a result of the police creating initiatives in the communities to include walks, and increased foot and mobile patrols," he added.

Taylor also said the police are active in the Bethel Town Police Youth Club and are trying to get other community members to get involved in its activities.