Jamaican Police.Com

This past weekend, Spanish Town mayor, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, unleashed a torrent of criticisms against the Spanish Town police, calling them “sloppy, lackadaisical and nonchalant” and urging Acting Commissioner of Police, Owen Ellington, to remove them from his town. Wheatley’s angry tirade happened twice – first at an address to the monthly general meeting of the St. Catherine Parish Council (SCPC) in Spanish Town on Thursday (February 11) and again on Saturday (February 13) at the quarterly meeting of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica at Arian’s Restaurant in Spanish Town.

Superintendent Assan Thompson, head of the St. Catherine North Division, has however hit back at these accusations, and has in turn accused the mayor of repeatedly trying to tarnish his reputation, despite his 34 years of service to the constabulary force. He described Wheatley’s accusations as baseless and malicious, and said it was another stab at his leadership of the division (a position he has held since 2008). Thompson lamented that he previously had to go the Commissioner of Police to defend himself, following similar statements by Wheatley. He said those accusations almost cost him his job, but he was vindicated in the end, when he provided the Commissioner with detailed information about police operations in the parish.

He added that the current round of accusations come at a time when the division is making progress, especially with regard to releasing the stronghold that gangs have on the citizens of Spanish Town. Superintendent Thompson said that they’ve removed 13 top members from both the One Order and Klansman gangs since December 2009, and 10 of those individuals have been charged for various crimes.

Tags : Andrew Wheatley, Assan Thompson, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, Spanish Town Mayor