Police in St. Thomas plan on-the-spot arrests over truck debris as Jamaica briefs mount

St. Thomas police are preparing to arrest truck operators on the spot if overloaded vehicles continue to shed aggregate onto parish roads, after councillors and officers warned that debris-strewn routes are putting motorists at risk.

Deputy Superintendent Rohan Ritchie, commanding officer for the division, told Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation that spillage had worsened beyond what ticketing and summonses could control. He said officers would look to arrests under the National Solid Waste Management Authority Act, treating dislodged stone as litter that endangers travellers. Ritchie acknowledged operators might push back but said public safety must come first. He cited Roger Gully in White Horses among problem stretches and said the division log showed at least two crashes tied to aggregate on the roadway.

Councillor Hubert Williams of the People’s National Party, White Horses division, backed stronger action and urged the parish to weigh road deaths against homicides. Williams said he knew of about five aggregate-related incidents, not only two, and argued that trucks must stay within legal load limits.

In St. Elizabeth, police have charged four students at St. Elizabeth Technical High School, aged 13 and 15, with assault occasioning bodily harm after fights last week. Superintendent Coleridge Minto told the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation on Thursday that 17 student fights were reported last Wednesday. He said the school resource officer programme is being reinforced alongside guidance and discipline staff, with work continuing on campus and in surrounding communities.

The Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency said it is jointly investigating threats against the Stella Maris Preparatory School community with the Jamaica Constabulary Force. MOCA said increased police presence remains on the St. Andrew campus while the situation is monitored, but declined further comment. It asked anyone with information to call 888-MOCA-TIP or Crime Stop at 311. Officers have maintained a heavy presence since last week after an online video threatened administrators and demanded $50 million while naming specific community members.

The National Works Agency said a section of Broadgate main road in St. Mary is seriously compromised after a culvert pipe was burnt beneath the embankment, causing partial collapse. Communications manager Stephen Shaw said the northbound lane from Broadgate is closed and traffic is being routed onto the northbound carriageway while the area stays cordoned off. Emergency work is planned to replace the damaged culvert. Shaw urged care when burning fires near culverts and asked motorists to use extreme caution along the route, especially with rain in the area.

The Accompong Electoral Committee said nomination activities set for Friday, 15 May 2026, in Accompong, St. Elizabeth, will proceed despite a Supreme Court injunction. On Wednesday, Justice N. Hardt Hines granted an interim stay of nomination and election day events until 10 June 2026 or until an amended application is heard. Merle Rowe, a former Colonel and prospective candidate in an election due 18 February, brought the action, alleging Colonel Richard Rowe set rules without informing candidates. In a Friday statement, the committee, chaired by Calvin Johnson, head of the Board of Elders, said consultations with advisers supported continuing nominations under the 2022 Constitution and questioned Merle Rowe’s eligibility to contest, citing a three-year residency rule.