Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter

The police have increased their patrols around the St. William Grant Park, downtown Kingston, following widespread incidents of rape and robberies at the location.

The Gleaner observed this week regular patrols of the park by the lawmen, as well as workmen trimming overgrown trees there.

Last week, The Gleaner reported that a 14-year-old girl and three other women were raped in the park over a three-week period.

The rapes, according to the police, were facilitated because sections of the park have been in darkness for some time and, as a result, have been transformed into a haven for robbers and rapists.

More patrols

Meanwhile, Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, who admitted that he was not previously aware that sections of the park were in darkness, said in a letter this week that, since The Gleaner's report, he has met with the police who have decided to increase patrols in the area. Three private security guards also have been assigned to beef up security.

"We have also made contact with the Jamaica Public Service Company, which has since sent a team there to work on the lights that are already in place," the mayor said in a statement. "The City Engineer's Department has been setting up temporary lighting in the unlit sections of the park," he added.

Mayor McKenzie also sought to fend off criticism of the poor state that the park has fallen into, stating that, during his tenure as mayor, he has made several attempts to address problems at the St. William Grant Park under the previous administration.

"Since the current government assumed office in September, it has awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the park and the work is to start right after the Christmas season."

He said the Cabinet has also awarded the construction of a $160 million Urban Transport Centre at Water Lane, which will reduce the number of vehicles, especially buses and taxis parked around the park and to reduce the need to use the park.