Senior Superintendent Dennis Brooks has given the assurance that Jamaica’s security forces remain fully capable of maintaining law and order in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, even as officers work to restore operations in the storm-battered capital of Black River, St Elizabeth.
Brooks, the senior communications strategist for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), told Barbados TODAY on Saturday that there was no immediate need for regional security assistance, as the island continues to recover from one of the most destructive hurricanes in recent history.
Senior Superintendent Dennis Brooks
“Since Hurricane Melissa, the catastrophe that happened, there was such extreme flooding at this facility that it became completely inoperable,” he shared during a clean-up exercise at the Black River Police Station. “Our aim was to bring as many hands on deck today to ensure we brought the station back up to speed. We know we can’t afford for the enforcement of law and order to depreciate any further.”
Brooks said the initiative drew senior officers from across the force, supported by divisions responsible for community safety, security, and welfare. Their focus, he added, was not only on restoring the physical station but also ensuring officers were equipped to continue serving residents across the parish.
Security personnel turned out to give support.
When Barbados TODAY visited the town, a heavy police presence was visible throughout the destroyed town, with armed officers guarding key facilities, including a damaged bank and several supermarkets. The increased patrols followed reports of looting by desperate residents who lost homes and belongings when Melissa ripped through the island’s southern and western parishes earlier this week.
Across Black River, homes and businesses lay in ruins, trees stripped bare, vehicles overturned, and debris piled high along the roads, even as officers and residents worked side by side to return a measure of order to the storm-ravaged parish.
Police facilities were extensively damaged.
“We’ve also brought a considerable number of people from community safety and the welfare division who are focused on ensuring the well-being of our members so they can properly execute their function,” the senior cop said. “We will continue to mobilise support from other areas of the force into the space.”
Pressed on whether outside security help might eventually be sought, Brooks said the situation remained manageable.
“I wouldn’t say that the situation has become so deplorable that it’s unmanageable by local authorities. The rule of law and the power of the state to preserve order are still intact.” (SM)
The post Jamaica police move to restore order in hurricane-hit Black River appeared first on Barbados Today.
