By Krista Henry and Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporters

DJ Busy Signal was detained by police for over two hours during a raid at a recent show because he looked like a wanted man.

Police raids on entertainment activities were carried out at the end of last year, with five events coming under siege across the island. In an attempt to capture wanted men the police are looking to the most-frequented spots, such as stage shows.

Top cop for the St. Andrew South division, Senior Super-intendent Derrick 'Cowboy' Knight, explained to THE STAR that the increase in police activity is not due to the search for cop killers but simply due to an increase in police intelligence. "This is not about the police per se. Look at the number of murders over the last three months ... The country is fed up," he said.

SSP Knight explained that as a result, the security forces have embarked on an all-out search for criminals and the places they are known to visit. "Intelligence-led operations have found us targeting criminals, wanted men and the places they frequent such as dances, parties, and corners where they hang out," the division head said.

Anti-crime initiative

Patrons being escorted by military personnel from the Country Club where Island Explosion was held on Monday. The joint police-military team detained over 10 people, including a wanted man.

These places include stage shows where thousands of persons gather at a time.

Police raids began on December 1 at Mavado's Birthday Bash held at Temple Hall Estate. The police and military personnel swarmed the venue, carrying out checks on all patrons from 3:00 a.m. to past 7:00 a.m.

On Saturday, December 8, three shows in western Jamaica fell prey to the security force's new anti-crime initiative as police invaded 'Riding West' at the Llandilo Cultural Centre, in Savanna-la-Mar, 'Rasta Bash' in Negril, and 'Reggae Fever' at the Catherine Hall Centre in Montego Bay.

The last raid occurred at Island Explosion on December 24 in Clarendon as police and military personnel conducted a search for guns and other ammunition. Thousands of patrons were forced to wait for over five hours until the search was concluded.

Director of Communications at the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Karl Angel, told the STAR that the law states that shows are allowed to continue up to 2 a.m. and the police will ensure that the law is complied with.

He said: "We can't always get compliance from everybody but the police will try to use the little resources they have to do their job. The stage shows are targeted because they are the most celebrated ones. There are no favours from the police in doing their policing. If people are willing to come forward, we would be willing to look at it and make the necessary changes."

DJ Assailant was detained by the police after using profane language onstage at Island Explosion, held on Monday. The joint police-military team detained over 10 people, including a wanted man. - Nathaniel Stewart photos

However, for some, police interference is coming at a loss. Sidney Campbell, a promoter of Island Explosion, claimed that his show was treated unfairly by the police. He claims that in the five years that the show was being held, there has been no incidents of violence. According to Campbell, the police stopped letting patrons into the venue at 3 a.m. when approximately 5,000 patrons were present. After 3 a.m., an approximate 5,000-6,000 patrons were turned back. This caused the event to lose $3.7 million.

"Di police dem seh dem looking fi wanted men and gunmen in di show. But if they were there they would have found dem, but they found nuting. We got treated unfairly because every odder show keep and dem nuh go dere," he said. Campbell further elaborated that the move was unnecessary as personnel from the May Pen Police Station were present, checking persons as they entered the venue.

Wanted men

Even the artistes are feeling the sting of police lockdowns as seen with dancehall artiste Busy Signal at Reggae Fever in Montego Bay. Similar to Island Explosion, the police were searching for wanted men. According to Busy's manager Shane Brown, Busy and his crew were caught in the curfew that took place at the event at 2 a.m.

Brown recounts: "They had a curfew before he was scheduled to perform. Dem search the bus. Signal and I got out and they searched us as well. Dem stop Signal and tell him to go sit down cause Signal looked like somebody that was wanted. He sat dere for over an hour or two."

According to Brown, the manner in which the the police treated the patrons could be considered brutal as one patron was shot with a stun gun when he began cursing loudly.

For Ken, a patron at the recently held Mavado Birthday Bash, police locking off dances is not fair to the patrons. He said: "It cyaan right fi dem lock off the show like dat. Mi spend my thousand dollars to go there and the people pay dem money fi go too, so dem cyaan do dat. If they lock off parties, it is going to be boring. Ghetto people start the whole dance thing and start up the late culture so they always want to party til late in the morning. The culture can't change."

The issue seems to boil down to whether promoters and patrons can comply with the 2 a.m. lock-off time for entertainment shows.