Hanover police revive Neighbourhood Watch to tackle domestic violence concerns

WESTERN BUREAU: Hanover police say domestic violence is drawing greater attention in the parish, prompting a public education push through Neighbourhood Watch groups that are being brought back into active service.

Superintendent Andrew Nish, who heads the Hanover Police Division, recently told a meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation that serious crimes in the parish were going down, even as domestic violence was requiring more police attention. He did not present figures to support the concern.

Corporal Monique Bartley, the Jamaica Constabulary Force Neighbourhood Watch coordinator for Hanover, told The Gleaner this week that domestic violence is one of the matters regularly raised when police meet with residents.

“That topic is on our agenda, and as members of the Neighbourhood Watch team, we are seeking to educate the residents about it,” Bartley said. She was part of Wednesday’s sensitisation session held on the grounds of the Hopewell Police Station.

Bartley said the decision to place more emphasis on domestic violence did not come directly from JCF crime data. Instead, she said it is being treated as one of several community concerns discussed with residents, along with the Road Traffic Act, dispute resolution, applications for spirit licences, and permits for events.

“As it relates to our Neighbourhood Watch programme, from our daily interactions with residents, we have seen reports about domestic violence and disputes, and what we are trying to do is to educate the residents across the parish to resolve matters amicably, while teaching them about what exactly domestic violence is about, and ways in which they can resolve conflicts,” she said.

As the police work to restart inactive Neighbourhood Watch groups, Bartley said the Hanover police’s Community Safety and Security Branch and the Neighbourhood Watch Unit want at least six functioning groups in place across the parish before the year ends.

The current focus areas are Hopewell, Sandy Bay, Tryall Gardens, Esher, Lucea and Ramble, she said.

Bartley said those communities were selected because residents have responded positively to police outreach already carried out there.

“The residents in those areas where we have conducted community initiatives have been very welcoming,” she said.

She added that Neighbourhood Watch remains useful in efforts to prevent and respond to crime, because the police need cooperation from people who live in the communities they serve.

“Neighbourhood Watch groups in the communities will always be of benefit in crime fighting. As police officers, we cannot do it (crime fighting) by ourselves. We need the partnership with residents. It has been working so far since the start of the year, and we are seeing an amazing transformation in the relationship between the police and residents,” Bartley said.

Bartley urged residents in the targeted communities and elsewhere in Hanover to work with the police as they try to make local areas safer.

“We are not going to say that we have all the answers, but together, we can find the best solution moving forward,” she said.