A Jamaica Constabulary Force flag flies at half mast outside the Linstead Police Station in St Catherine yesterday to mourn the death of Constable Marlon Samms. Samms was shot by one of three gunmen who held up a gaming shop in the town on Saturday. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer
A 27-year-old cop who was gunned down on the weekend as he tried to foil a robbery was on Sunday hailed for his sacrificial gallantry.
Dead is Constable Marlon Samms, who was attached to the Linstead Police Station.
As gloom swept through the town of Linstead, members of the Orangefield Pentecostal Church in St Catherine visited the station on Sunday morning to console Samms' grieving colleagues.
"We are with the police and their mourning is also ours. I hope that those responsible for the death of this policeman will be brought to justice,'' said Elder Elvis Hamilton.
Responded to robbery call
The police told The Gleaner that about 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, Samms responded to a call from a nearby betting shop. He was shot by one of three gunmen who had robbed the shop.
An off-duty policeman who was nearby retrieved his dying colleague's gun and engaged the gunmen.
During the shoot-out, one of the attackers, who was later identified as Kemar Goulbourne, a 21-year-old labourer of Banbury district, near Linstead, was killed. Samms died at the Kingston Public Hospital. The police are still searching for the other two robbers.
Yesterday, Minister of National Security Senator Dwight Nelson lauded the bravery of the late policeman while highlighting the dangerous conditions under which law enforcement officers work.
The minister used the opportunity to implore law-abiding residents to support the fight against crime.
The security ministry said Samms was the fifth cop murdered since January.
Increase in reported crime
Meanwhile, the latest statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force Crime Review have shown an increase in the number of crimes reported for the period April 1-30 of this year when compared with the corresponding period last year.
In 2008, a total of 718 crimes were reported but this figure rose to 880 this year. For the same period, there has been an increase in shootings, with this year seeing 148 cases as against 128 a year ago.
Compared with last year, the murder rate in the metro areas of St Catherine, St Andrew and Kingston declined from 68 per cent to 59 per cent. However, in the rural areas, there was an increase from 32 to 41 per cent.
Rape and carnal abuse reports have also seen marginal declines.
There have been improvements in the number of arrests that were made by the police. For the corresponding period last year, 474 arrests were made in the Corporate Area, but this jumped to 528 this year. Arrests in the rural areas also increased, moving from 747 in 2008 to 1,069.
rasbert.turner@gleanerjm.com