1. Blooming Vineyards -
Community Policing Bears
Fruit
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Published:Monday | April 1, 2013
Woman Sergeant Jacqueline Dillon-Grant, Area 5 community safety coordinator (right),
shares a joke with Constable Micky Lord of the Community Safety and Security Branch
(left) after a meeting with the Vineyards crime panel at the Old Harbour courthouse on
Saturday. Listening in are (from left) Israel Watts, president, Vineyards Citizens'
Association; Lorraine Dixon, secretary; and Errol Stewart, leader of the community's
crime panel. - PHOTO BY KAREN SUDU
Karen Sudu, Gleaner Writer

2. "Crime expands according to our willingness to put up with it," that's according
to Barry J. Farber, American author and radio and television personality.
It's a view shared by residents of the Vineyards Estate located off the Bushy Park main
road, near Old Harbour in St Catherine.
In fact, over the years, the community developed by New Era Homes Limited has
experienced a high incidence of crime.
"You have what was called 'sustained crime' as it relates to robberies, break-ins,
shooting at times, and all of that," Constable Micky Lord, Community Safety and
Security Branch, St Catherine South, explained to The Gleaner.
According to statistics from the police, there was an escalation in criminal activities in
2012, with 60 reported cases of robbery, 40 break-ins, and three motor vehicles stolen.
"The break-ins occur during the day when persons are at work, mostly between 10 a.m.
and 3 p.m. and between midnight and 4 a.m., while the robberies take place between 5
a.m. and 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.," said a police source.
So, in January this year, the Vineyards Citizens' Association forged a partnership with
the police, signalling their unwillingness to tolerate criminal activities.
"Safety for us is number one and we will strive to be an example to other communities.
We work at that diligently and strongly," Neighbourhood Watch coordinator Errol
Stewart vowed at a recent Citizens' Association meeting held in collaboration with the
police at the Vineyards playing field.
Besides, the citizens are resolute in their quest to decrease and ultimately eliminate
criminal activities in the community where 30 per cent of the approximately 2,000
citizens are returning residents.

3. "We have to be on top of things and work together," asserted a male resident.
The crime-reduction initiatives are spearheaded by a crime panel headed by Stewart. It
helps the Old Harbour police located about three miles from the Vineyards to patrol the
community.
"Since the patrol began, there has been a 75 per cent drop in robberies and break-ins,"
the police source further revealed.
Moreover, Constable Lord said he was satisfied with the results the partnership has
yielded so far and expressed the desire to make Vineyards a model.
Woman Sergeant Jacqueline Dillon-Grant, Area Five community safety co-ordinator,
who has been working with the community over the years, was no less excited about
the fruition of the partnership with the citizens' association.
"It's a group that has struggled over the years to get the residents to understand what is
important as it relates to crime and crime prevention, and how they can better protect
themselves, and now, I'm happy to see where it has reached," she told The Gleaner.
The residents said they felt safer and more secure since the united efforts to stop the
upsurge of criminal activities.
"As a group and as a team, I'm feeling real good, but I'm not relaxing. We are looking
out for anything as we go we will improve our structure and strategies," Stewart
assured.
Incidentally, plans to bolster the partnership with the police for sustained crime
prevention are in the making.
"Our company is actually making a presence in the Old Harbour area, so we are
trying to come on board to assist the police and assist the community into

4. making the Vineyards and surrounding areas in Old Harbour safer and better to
live in," Otis Grant, marketing manager at Security Innovation, told the meeting.
Bringing Security Innovation on board seems a possibility the residents will explore to
ensure the continued success of their initiative to stamp out the scourge of crime within
the community, which has Highway 2000 to its left and Bushy Park and Lloyd's Pen on
the right.
Israel Watts, president, Vineyards Citizens' Association, said the partnership with the
police has been impacting the community positively.
"I think it's how you look at the police, what they are there for and approaching them in
the right way. Citizens and the police can work together to create a safer community,"
he said.
FACT: 75% Drop in number of robberies and break-ins since patrols began