The closure of the Goodyear tyre factory, seen in this 2005 photograph, has contributed to the rise in unemployment in St Thomas. - File

This is another in The Gleaner's series on the high level of lawlessness affecting some of Jamaica's townships.

The St Thomas capital was once a thriving business district. But like the rest of the parish, memories of Morant Bay's glory days are fading fast.

It is among the most underdeve-loped in the island, wracked by high levels of unemployment. Large factories which once employed many of the residents have either shipped out, or have significantly scaled down production in the last 10 years, leaving many jobless.

The Goodyear tyre factory closed its doors in 1997. The scaling down of the Tropicana Sugar Company and the shutdown of the once-productive apparel sector there followed. Total export earnings from Jamaica's apparel industry reflected a roughly 30 per cent decline last year over returns in 2006.

Higgler population increases

Unemployment has pushed up poverty in St Thomas, officials have said, particularly in the rural belt, perhaps triggering the upsurge in illegal, nomadic vendors swarming the town's streets.

On a trip to the parish capital earlier this week, many vendors were seen lining the corridors of the narrow Queen Street. As one nears the Morant Bay market, the higgler population increases, wooing potential customers with snacks, drinks, household products, clothing and other accessories.

Like in many other towns, jaywalking is a pastime here. Motorists jostle for space on the roads as pedestrians abandon sidewalks.

Illegal parking and 'robot' taxis also contribute to the frustration as disembarking passengers stream on to the streets, interrupting the free flow of traffic.

Despite its rustic aura, St Thomas has not been immune to the murder wave sweeping the country. The parish has seen a 42 per cent rise in murders up to June this year, compared to the corresponding period in 2007. However, major crimes such as carnal abuse and robbery have plunged by 16 per cent, the police said.

Extortion problem

There's another troubling trend. Extortion. Some residents theorise it to have been the motive behind a car bombing in the parish a week ago which left two women with minor cuts and bruises. The police have, however, said there is no supporting evidence for that claim.

"It start about a year ago," one woman told our news team. "They sent letters to some business places telling them to pay up."

However, no one has made a formal report about extortion in the town, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Carlos Bell. He added that there was no evidence suggesting that extortion was linked to the recent bombing.

"We don't know. What we know for sure is that something happened on the morning in question, and we have used the forensic persons and we are also doing other investigations to know from whence the call came," he told The Gleaner.

It was reported that the businessman who was the intended target received a telephone call from an individual demanding that he pay over nearly $1 million. Shortly before 1 p.m., he received another call warning him to remove something from beneath his vehicle.

There has only been one recent extortion-related arrest in the parish, but that was about a year ago.

"Maybe it could be out of fear (why residents have failed to report extortion)," he remarked.