Tensions flared in Kitson Town on Tuesday when a group of men, allegedly plainclothes police, joined Jamaica Public Service (JPS) workers to cut down illegal light wires. Residents say the operation turned violent, leaving a teenage girl injured and her mother and sister shaken.
According to locals speaking to Observer Online, the team arrived unannounced and ventured onto private property near Albertson Avenue. “They keep going into people’s yards without permission,” one resident complained. When a woman inside her yard confronted the workers, her teenage daughter stepped in.
A dispute unfolded, and expletives were used by both parties. Video of the incident shows the girl, wearing a red T-shirt, blood running from her nose as a man wearing a Jamaica Constabulary Force hat appears armed.
“He hit the little girl in her face and mash up her nose and mouth,” the resident explained, noting the teen required hospital treatment. In the clip, two men struggle to force the mother into an unmarked van, dragging her while shouting, “Go in the vehicle! Go in the van!”
At one point, a grey-clad man grabs another one of the woman’s daughters by her T-shirt, and they begin to tussle, igniting more chaos. The struggle led to her midriff being exposed before he pointed a handgun at her and then fired a single shot into the air.
The mother later learnt she and her daughters faced charges including indecent language and assault. She claimed that she sustained bruises to her left jaw, breast, and hand. The mother also said that her younger daughter awaits the results of an X-ray to determine if her nose is broken.
JPS spokesperson Winsome Callum confirmed crews work alongside police to remove illegal connections, citing ongoing theft from the grid. “Our team members have been threatened and sometimes exposed,” she said, explaining the need for officers on the scene.
Residents argue they remain without official meters despite paying for their land. The residents claimed that when the teams came to remove the illegal wire, the wires were resold back to community members for as much as J$20,000.
The community also pointed to inadequate infrastructure, missing meters, poor roads that deter taxis, and limited waste disposal as breeding grounds for illegal wiring and heavy-handed enforcement.
