(Jamaica Observer) MONTEGO BAY, St James — Three minors were among 40 females arrested by the St James police in a massive operation targeting sex workers in this resort city early yesterday morning.
The minors, police believe, were victims of a human trafficking ring.
“We took close to 40 young ladies off the street. We saw them walking on the streets, scantily dressed, and unable to give a proper account of why they were out in the street…,” Senior Superintendent Steve McGregor, commander of the St James Police Division, told reporters.
“In fact, those that we took in were arrested on reasonable suspicion because if we see a person scantily dressed and cannot account for what they are doing it is reasonable to think that these persons might be of the intention to commit a crime.
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According to SSP McGregor, contacts were made with the parents of the minors. He said that depending on their explanations, the parents could be slapped with criminal charges.
McGregor, who alluded to the shooting death of a prostitute in the heart of the city last Saturday morning, said the police cannot guarantee the safety of prostitutes plying their trade on the streets at nights.
“You would have recalled that one of our early murders in St James was a lady who was killed on the street at about 3:00 am, along Harbour Street and Strand Street intersection. Our data showed that she was there operating as a prostitute. We cannot assure these people of their safety if they walk on the street at this (wee hours) time,” he argued.
The head of the St James Police Division noted that most of those who were taken into custody yesterday lived outside of St James.
“The majority of them came from as far as Kingston, Portland and St Ann. They don’t live anywhere here; they are just plying their illicit trade here and we are not going to allow it to happen,” SSP McGregor said.
“… We were going to target these young ladies on the streets of St James from Gloucester Avenue, Harbour Street and all the way out to Coral Gardens area. We went out early this morning from 1:00 am.”
SSP McGregor said guidance counsellors and health workers were called by the police to provide counselling to the alleged sex workers and collect data from them.
“We allowed the health people to record them because they are high risk people and they are shying away from being recorded by the health organisation. We had some counsellors who spoke to them and told them that we are going to sweep the street of Montego Bay,” an adamant SSP McGregor said.