‘Thickman’ was no angel, say cops

Despite being labelled a guardian angel and protector by the residents of Tawes Meadows in Spanish Town, St Catherine, the cops say that Othneil 'Thickman' Lobban was a notorious gangster.

Christopher Phillips, acting assistant commissioner of police in charge of Area 5, told THE WEEKEND STAR that Lobban was a don responsible for a number of criminal activities.

"If St Catherine is now seen as the epicentre of crime, just imagine a network that Lobban has created over a period of time. He met his demise [on Wednesday] outside of this division and he is known to be connected to several other communities in and outside of St Catherine. He was one of the main targets for the Joint Anti-Gang Task Force, based on his involvement in various acts of criminal activities. He was a known strongman in this area and is the local leader for the One Order gang," he said. Lobban was killed in a reported confrontation with lawmen.

His death has sparked unrest in Spanish Town, forcing the closure of business and schools. Phillips said the reaction to Lobban's killing highlights the kind of psychological control and impact that gangs continue to have on the communities.

"Persons are expressing themselves based on the relationship they had with Lobban, who, as I said before, was a leader in this area. It is very unfortunate that last night (Wednesday) we had a few incidents where the roads were blocked and attempts were made to burn premises. But we were quick on location to put control on that. We will continue to maintain our presence in the Spanish Town area as best as possible, and we are watching all those communities that were so connected to the deceased," he said.

Phillips said he is calling on all the relevant social groups to have suitable interventions in Tawes Pen and other communities in which Lobban had strong influence.

"This is not a police-alone response, it has to be a collective response. When you talk to some of these residents individually, they are thanking the police for their work. But, if we should meet them collectively, they will give you a different story and that is a negative kind of control on the people, and that is what gangsters have done to many of these garrison-type communities," he said.

On Thursday, residents of Tawes Meadows accused the lawmen of physical and verbal abuse, but Phillips immediately rubbished those claims.

"We have all seen the kind of disorder coming from the residents when the police attempted to move in and to ensure their safety. I have not had any reports of any unprofessional conduct by the police. In fact, I believe they exercised great restraint yesterday (Wednesday), and, until these people start behaving themselves, we are going to be in these communities and our efforts will be relentless. We are not going to let up, lest we turn this place into Haiti. It cannot work," Phillips said.