The police, in conjunction with the Department of Environment Health and the Ministry of Works Building Control Section, have been working arduously to contact building owners to have these buildings cleared down or properly secured as they harbour the criminal element.
Attract vagrants
Speaking with the Guardian on Sunday, Central Detective Unit chief, Superintendent Marvin Dames, said over the years children walking home have been abducted into abandoned buildings and sexually assaulted.
These buildings he said, ” attract vagrants; they attract other criminals ﾗ drug pushers and drug users. Persons from time to time have been known to hide their ill gotten gains in these buildings, whether they are illegal firearms, drugs or whether it is stolen property.”
“Certainly, because these areas are not cared for and people do not visit to check up on them, they become great concealment locations for criminals to carry out their illegal activities. From a law enforcement perspective, if you have a structure that is not being cared for, and there is no interest in reviving it, especially if it’s in a very populated neighbourhood, the best thing to do is to clear it down.”
Owner’s responsibility
He said that if there is a clear intention that the building would not be closed indefinitely, then owners should ensure that they are properly fenced in and secured.
The Farm Road Project, inclusive of ones raised in Bain Town and St. Cecilia he said has this issue as one of its major thrusts.
“We in the police, through our community policing strategy and multi-agencies have been identifying these eyesores in these areas and have been reaching out with those relevant agencies, to work along with them to have these areas cleared. We have stories of kids walking home from school, or some innocent person walking the streets pulled into a bushy area and they are being robbed and sexually assaulted,” said Supt. Dames.
Community effort
“It is in the interest of all of us to work toward keeping it cleared and working along with the owners if they can be identified to have it cleared. If by clearing these abandoned buildings and bushy areas, if we could mobilize the community in doing that, and with the multi agency approach inclusive of the community ﾗ getting people involved to clean up and clear up, that is what is important,” said Supt. Dames.
Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Health Ron Pinder said that ” the Department in recent times have become very concerned not only about the unsightliness of abandoned buildings but also the impact they have on the environment.”
He said because of the public’s safety, the Department feels this is an important issue to address.
“Oftentimes, homeless persons use these buildings to sleep in. As we have seen in recent times, a number of fires have started in abandoned buildings because of the garbage accumulated and people either lighting fires to keep warm, to cook food or for light, or even to smoke their drugs. This has caused added concern,” he said.
” But we will begin on Monday to step up our enforcement of abandoned buildings in residential areas.”
The Nassau Guardian
