Blossom Housen preparing for a market trip.- photos by Ian Allen/Photographer

THOUGH THE cold clutches of crime and violence seem to have most communities in Jamaica in its tight grip, residents of Top Mountain, Troja and Facey in rural St Catherine believe their communities can win any competition for Jamaica's 'most peaceful' districts.

While many persons across the island are cowering in fear from the vicious criminals, residents of the sleepy St Catherine communities say they live in complete serenity.

"When I hear 'bout some a the things that happening in Kingston and them place, it come in like a foreign," Blossom Housen, a farmer and shopkeeper in Top Mountain told The Sunday Gleaner.

"No sah, we nuh have them problems deh up here so," she emphasised. "We nuh have no crime, up here very quiet. Dem will thief a one, one banana or plantain off yuh farm, but nutten more serious," she said.

'nuh affi worry'

Housen boasted that many residents in the district still sleep with their doors open without worry or fear.

"All Friday night when wi pack load for market Saturday, we leave it outside and nuh affi worry," she added.

"I don't plan to ever leave this community and go anywhere else in Jamaica to live. If I leave here so, a mus' foreign mi a go," Housen said.

Residents of the rustic districts of Top Mountain, Facey and Troja, just about three miles outside Riversdale, live in a family-like setting.

Children could be seen heading to and from school in clusters, while men and women converged in groups on their small farms.

One district constable from the Riversdale Police Station admitted that the areas were "relatively peaceful".

"Every now and then, we'll have minor incidents, like maybe twice a month, you'll get a report of a threat or unlawful wounding, but nothing more serious," he told The Sunday Gleaner.

"Since the past four years, we don't have any reports of murder or anything serious in those three communities," the district constable said.

He added that if there was a case of robbery or break-in, it was usually committed by someone outside the community.

He said the latest reports of murder in the northeast St Catherine area have come from the communities of Gobay and Sandy Gut.

Over the years, Gobay has had its battle with crime and in late 2007, a large portion of the residents fled the community in fear after violence broke out.

Now the residents, though quite friendly, are also very weary of strangers, as they argued that any serious crime committed in the area, was often imported.

"If we see any strange people in the area, we ask them to leave. We don't allow them to stay here and give any trouble," one farmer said.

Even the children seemed aware of the pact to keep suspicious strangers out of the area. As the Sunday Gleaner vehicle approached a group of boys walking home from school, they quickly scurried for cover in nearby bushes.

After questioning their action, we were told: "We have to know oonu first before we talk to oonu. We hear seh them a take weh children."

Nothing nuh happen

Seventeen-year-old Cleon Mon-tague, who lives in Troja, said he wants to become a police officer, but argued that he would have to leave the community to get any real excitement in his preferred profession.

"Nothing nuh happen up here," he said in a tone that was part boastful, but with a twinge of regret.

Montague said he plans to move out of the community to get his initial training and experience in the police force, but said he plans to return to help keep his district safe.

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com

Cleon Montague, a young resident of Top Mountain, St Catherine.