PM promises jobs as a crime fighting strategy

Very soon, another 200 jobs will be available at the National Housing and Urban Renewal Company as part of the government’s efforts to tackle crime.
That’s according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne who also said the police will have a “zero tolerance” for crime and that a number of other crime fighting strategies will be implemented.
Speaking exclusively to OBSERVER media Wednesday night after a meeting with the police hierarchy, the PM said, “We had a very constructive engagement with law enforcement officers to step up on fighting crime and violence and to ensure public safety.
A number of strategies were discussed for immediate implementation and this will be supported with additional resources. National Housing will be taking on an additional 200 workers shortly.”
And, he’s urging residents from crime plagued communities with issues of unemployment to take advantage of the opportunity.
PM Browne singled out “Those criminal elements in Ottos, Point, Villa, Greenbay and Gray’s Farm and other areas, are encouraged to take up these jobs and become productive citizens.”
Currently, the National Housing and Urban Renewal Company provides jobs for a number of residents from Point and Villa who are helping to build the home for the government’s flagship housing project. So far, 48 out of the 500 homes that the government promised to deliver in 500 days back in 2014, have been completed.
Meanwhile, the prime minister is urging residents to be more cooperative with the police to help curb criminal activity because they “require intelligence on individuals with illegal firearms and ammunition and information on those criminals who are preying on our innocent citizens for a living.”
The prime minister assured that any information passed on to law enforcement agencies will be kept in the strictest of confidence as he added that it is time for the people and police to take the fight to the criminals and catch them.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at 462-3913, the anonymous hotline Crime Stoppers at 800-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)