THE POLICE in the Kingston Western Division have turned to a national pastime - dominoes - in an effort to reduce crime in usually volatile communities.

Dominoes for Peace is the latest initiative from the police who patrol communities such as Arnett Gardens, Tivoli Gardens, Rema, Trench Town, Rose Town and sections of Maxfield Avenue.

"The aim is to let the people see that there is a different way of life than violence, and we want to use dominoes to break down the imaginary barriers that have been erected between these communities," Superintendent Hugh Bish, head of the Western Kingston police, told The Gleaner.

"We had teams from gangs, including Action Pak, Gully Side, Entourage, Fatherless Crew, Federal, Jones Town, Arnett, Tivoli, Denham Town, Ramsey Road and Sunlight Street participating in the competition," Bish said.

Played in good spirit

These are all areas in the Western Kingston Division and homes to some of the most notorious gangsters in the Corporate Area.

A police team also participated in the day-long competition which Bish said was played in good spirit.

"Me neva believe me woulda si di day when the police and people from Rema would play together," said one man from Wilton Gardens, better known as Rema.

"Officer, is a good ting unu do and me love it. We have to keep it going. It sell off," the man added.

That was a view shared by many residents of the communities who were crossing invisible barriers for the first time in many years.

"We had it in Trench Town this time, but we will be moving around the division to other communities and we hope The Gleaner will have a team next time," Bish said.

He noted that the team from Rema won the contest with the Action Pak team finishing second and the police team grabbing third place.

"Is not that the police got beaten, but we allowed them to win in the spirit of the competition," Bish said with a chuckle.

He noted that several agencies, including the Social Development Commission, the Dispute Resolution Foundation and the United Nations Development Fund, contributed to the competition and remain on-board for other competitions.

"This is part of the work being done by the community safety and security branch, along with regular policing, which has resulted in a reduction of crime in the division," said Bish.

He noted that since the start of this year, 44 murders have been recorded in the division, down from 51 over the corresponding period last year.

The police have also seized 37 illegal firearms and 465 rounds of ammunition.

"We are getting help from individuals, such as Dr Henley Morgan, who are offering options to the potential gangsters, while some residents are just tired of the crime and are willing to work with us," Bish said as he explained the encouraging numbers so far this year.

arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com