‘More intelligence gathering needed’

Police should spend less time on rough-house tactics and concentrate more on the gathering of intelligence in the fight against crime, says a Jamaican military expert.{{more}}

Major Stanley Ford, who was once second in command of Jamaica’s National Firearms and Drugs Intelligence Centre says that regional governments need to invest in the development of specialist intelligence personnel in the fight against drugs, firearms and crime on a whole.

Major Ford spoke to SEARCHLIGHT on Saturday, June 30, shortly after he addressed the Rotary Clubs of St Vincent and St Vincent South and the Rotaract Club of Kingstown’s handing over ceremony.

He said that with better intelligence the police would be able to be more focused when they go out on operations.

“So when they go out they don’t go and harass every one in the neighbourhood and kick down half a dozen doors along the way,” he said.

Major Ford, a former Company commander in the Jamaican army and Operations officer in the Caribbean Peace Keeping Forces, also said that he believes countries in the region can do a lot more in the fight against drugs, noting that there cannot be a prevalence of the thoughts, though unexpressed, that we must have some drugs to help the economy.

“You have to see drugs in a wide sense, the money may come now but the wider impact on society would be detrimental to all,” Major Ford noted.

During his address to the Rotarians gathered at the Methodist Church Hall, Ford noted that St Vincent and the Grenadines cannot take the upsurge in crime that it is experiencing lightly.

He said that emerging trends must be dealt with efficiency before things spiral out of control and kidnappings, extortions and other ills associated with the bigger territories like Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago become part and parcel of the society.

Ford who has worked as a security and intelligence consultant in many regional countries said that St Vincent and the Grenadines can’t allow the country’s reputation for marijuana to get worse and encouraged the implementation of a more intense and continuous eradication programme. (KJ)