Police propose barrack-style housing to stem squatting in Trelawny
Published:Wednesday | July 5, 2023 | 1:28 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT Winston Milton, who heads the Trelawny Police Division, has asked the Trelawny Municipal Corporation and private investors who are constructing hotels and housing schemes in the parish to consider constructing temporary barrack-style housing for construction workers. This, he said, is to prevent squatting in the area.
He argued that the influx of construction workers from other parishes looking for jobs in the booming construction sector to develop additional hotel rooms and housing was the reason for the growing squatter settlements on private lands in the parish.“I’m not sure if the municipal corporation has the necessary legal authority to carry this out,” he expressed amid promises that the Government would push “... to provide some kind of barrack accommodation for persons who migrate from other areas, other parishes, into our space in search of employment”.
Milton made the commitment to formally engage the municipal corporation on its recommendation, which he would then communicate to private investors, during a town hall meeting in Falmouth last week. If the suggestion is taken seriously, it could then become a condition to grant building permits.
He said it’s not just the police department’s concern that people are moving into Trelawny from other parishes, thus a multi-agency strategy is needed.
Milton added that the police had seen juveniles among the squatters in areas where construction workers live on lands, and that these areas lack running water and other basic sanitation facilities.
The senior law enforcement official pointed out that this violates the Child Care and Protection Act, which was established to guarantee that children live in secure environments.
“From a law enforcement standpoint, we have carried out numerous operations in these regions to better identify who is present on our territory, DSP Milton disclosed.
He also noted that when their biodata was entered into the system, it was discovered that a number of these individuals had criminal traces from neighbouring parishes.
“There were no restrooms in the traditional sense. The court has heard these cases, and they have been resolved accordingly,” he explained. “We do what the law allows us to do by acting within the ambit of the law.
“I’ll be the first to admit that this is a serious societal problem, and that it often arises during construction booms like the one we’re currently experiencing,” he added.
While recognising the country’s democracy, and the fact that police and law-abiding citizens do not object to newcomers in the parish, the senior police officer says he expects migrants to abide by the law.
“Remember we are in a democracy; we don’t mind people migrating to our space but when they get here, they must ensure that they keep the peace. So what we have now is a system in place to ensure that these individuals are properly monitored,” Milton stated.