PMI tours 'Spain' Organisation gathers information on the way forward

Rasbert Turner, Star Writer

spanish town

Several communities in Spanish Town, St Catherine, were toured by members of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) and other relevant agencies on Friday.

The tour, in which representatives from the Social Development Commission and Ministry of National Security took part, was done in Tawes Pen, Ellerslie Pen, Rivoli and Gravel Heights where hundreds of people were forced to flee their homes after threats from gunmen.

The PMI was led by Horace Levy, who took time out to hear the views of the residents. He said the aim of the exercise was to gather information about the communities with a view of how to move forward.

Difficult to patrol

Meanwhile, head of the St Catherine North Police, Superintendent, Assan Thompson, said Gravel Heights is a very difficult area to police. He said the unplanned nature of the community makes it even harder for the police to properly penetrate the area.

The senior cop said the road network is also non-existent but, however, reassured "the police will be doing their job".

Many residents said they were thankful for the visit and hoped it would bear fruits of peace.