NEWS ON THE GO

The August Town Peace Builders have launched an initiative called Get Up, Stand Up as they seek to rally community members against criminality.

"We want to let persons know that the gunmen in the community will not change unless we force the change through using our numbers," Kenneth Wilson, head of the group, said.

"If we can put together all the like-minded persons in August Town on one page when we are going to talk to the youth or to say 'end the violence', it will have a greater impact than just a few Peace Builders would," he said.

"We are building that movement where we get up, stand up, and defend our right to live in a peaceful community and to defend the God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. None of us must surrender those rights," he added.

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang says the Government is intensifying efforts to disrupt organised criminal gangs.

"Our policy position of dealing with gang leaders is to see them arrested, charged and incarcerated for their crimes against people and the State. We envision in the media, images of dons being escorted to court by police officers as testimony of our new way of doing business," he said.

Minister Chang, who was making a statement in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, stressed that apprehending, investigating, convicting and incarcerating these criminals is the best mechanism "to diminish the heroic image of the gang leaders".

Constable Davian Martin said he knew he would have been crowned 2018 Lasco Top Cop after it was announced that he got the most social media votes of this year's nine finalists.

"I knew I could do it, not only because I got the highest number of votes from the public, but also due to the fact that I have created a number of initiatives in the parish of Manchester aimed at transforming the lives of the youth who live there," he said.

According to the report of the competition's judges, Constable Martin, who has served the Jamaica Constabulary Force Area 3 Headquarters in Mandeville, Manchester, for the last seven years, has been a strong community and youth advocate, and leader of the Mandeville Police Youth Club, which recorded a boost in membership from 30 to over 80 persons under his stewardship.

Additionally, he organised a 5K run/walk, the proceeds of which were donated to the Mandeville and Percy Junor hospitals, and initiated an annual 'Feed the Street People Programme'. These were among the notable factors propelling him to the coveted award.