THE country's fight against crime is set to be bolstered with the arrival of two top North American crime fighters next week. The cops, who are from Canada and the United States, are being sponsored by the European Union (EU) at a cost of US$300,000 and will be staying in the country for between six months to a year.

Head of EU Delegation Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi-Alemanni made the announcement Wednesday during a signing-over-ceremony for phase III of the Grants Of A Lower Order (GOLA) programme at the Rennock Lodge All Age School in Rockfort, East Kingston.

Later he told the Observer that the move is part of the EU's US$45-million assistance to the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

"It is to help the force implement the strategic review and justice reform programmes, INDECOM, the Twickenham Park Police Academy extension and human rights training of police recruits," Mazzocchi-Alemanni said. "As of next week two international crime experts will be at the disposal of Commissioner Owen Ellington."

He said the move is aimed at further boosting the force's crime-fighting capabilities.

"It will be helping Owen Ellington and his team to further develop their anti-gang strategy which is already bearing fruit," Ambassador Alemanni told the Observer.

In recent weeks, police have made major inroads in the disruption of organised criminal networks based in St Catherine and Clarendon. Several top-tier members of the notorious Klansman gang — which operates out of Spanish Town — have been fatally shot, while its reputed leader Tesha Miller was last week sentenced to 15 years on firearm and robbery charges. Also, the police in Clarendon have fatally shot the leader of a deadly gang based in Bucknor.

The cops also have in custody several alleged gang leaders, including the West Kingston-based Harold 'Harry Dog' McLeod, Christopher 'Dog Paw' Linton and his alleged crony Nicholas Nesbeth.

Ambassador Alemanni said that the two cops are among the world's best crime fighters and would benefit the constabulary with their first-world knowledge of busting gangs.

"This is European money, but they are North Americans. We took the best, we did not tie our aid to European citizens," he said.

Meantime, nine communities on Wednesday received financial support amounting to just over J$9.6 million to undertake social projects. The projects are being funded under the EU's Poverty Reduction Programme.

The communities are Cassava Piece, Allman Town, McKintyre Villa, Hannah Town, August Town, Maverly, Waterhouse, Kintyre, and Winter's Pen in St Catherine.

All communities will benefit from the construction of extra classroom space, homes for the elderly and community centres, the ambassador said.

The signing-over ceremony took place after a tour of the Rennock Lodge School Feeding Programme, where the EU has funded a chicken-rearing project and a vegetable garden under the first phase of the GOLA project.

A total of 120 students of Rennock Lodge get breakfast and lunch each school day under the programme.

"This is another aspect of our support to volatile and vulnerable communities that we consider very important," he said.

Source: jamaicaobserver.com