POLICE investigators say more women have been arming themselves with guns, joining gangs and committing gun-related crimes in recent months, but are baffled as to why this is happening.

And while the Sunday Observer was unable to gather hard data up to press time, a number of high-ranking police officials have confirmed that there has been a noticeable increase in criminal activities among Jamaican women.

"It's not unusual for women to be involved in crime, but we have noticed a higher level of activity involving them over the past couple months," Deputy Superintendent Cornwall 'Bigga' Ford told the Sunday Observer.

Head of Operation Kingfish, Assistant Commissioner Glenmore Hinds, added that females seem to have graduated from their former roles of merely harbouring gunmen and sharing in their ill-gotten spoils to taking up the gun and committing murder, armed robbery and other gun-related crimes themselves.

Ford, who heads the Flying Squad, said he wouldn't hazard a guess as to the reasons behind the increased activity among women, but suggested that it was a natural progression based on some previous trends.

"It was the males who were involved in the drug trade until the females [effectively] took it over," he pointed out.

When the Sunday Observer spoke with him last Friday, Ford was on an operation in downtown Kingston and could not say off the top of his head exactly how many women the police are tracking. He did, however, give examples of two gangs of robbers - one of which is made up entirely of females - currently operating across the Corporate Area.

"We have a female who operates in Kingston 6 with three males. They do hold-ups and car-jacking. The female goes into the establishment, like a bar for example, orders drinks then the others join her and they rob the customers and the establishment," he said.

Similar activity was also evident around the time of Hurricane Dean last year, he said, when a banker was shot in a bar at Bronstorph Square off Washington Boulevard in the Kingston 20 area. The female's role in that robbery was to relieve the patrons and the bartender of their cash.

"A female was also shot in a robbery attempt in Harbour View about three weeks ago," added the cop, who said the woman hailed from the inner-city community of Tavares Gardens, more commonly known as Rema.

Last month, a woman was used by a group of gunmen who shot dead a shop owner at his business place at 31 Molynes Road. Residents said that the woman, dressed in a skimpy shorts, alighted from a car with the gunmen, went into the shop, apparently to distract Anthony 'Mettie' Glen and his customers, before the men in the car shot him.

Since the start of the year, at least three women have been arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm, robbery and other crimes in the Corporate Area.

The latest incident involved Tamika Lindsay, the girlfriend of former most-wanted fugitive and leader of the feared Gideon Warriors gang, Joel Andem. Lindsay was arrested and charged after police seized a Ruger 9mm pistol found in a bag of chicken feed at a shop she operated in the Land Lease community in St Andrew.

Lindsay is now behind bars.

Head of crime for the St Andrew Central police division, Deputy Superintendent McArthur Sutherland, said Lindsay was not the only woman gangster operating in his division.

One such female was held weeks ago at Ferry Lane in St Andrew. Police identify her only as 'Candice' or 'Man Royal', and described her as a dangerous criminal. According to Sutherland, 'Candice' has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and assault, and will soon face the courts.

He said the woman brandished a firearm and pointed it at a cop before scaling a wall and escaping via a gully. The cops had swooped down on a premises in Zaidie Gardens, Kingston 20, in an effort to apprehend her when she pulled off the daring escape. She was wanted for questioning in connection with a murder on Red Hills Road at the time of the raid, Sutherland said.

The police say 'Candice' was also wanted for questioning in connection with gun-related crimes committed on Verene Avenue, Zaidie Gardens and in the 100 Lane area of St Andrew.
"She is a shotta girl who goes on the prowl with bad men," said Sutherland. "Women have always played a role. Now they are getting bolder and more assertive and are participating in robberies."

Head of the St Andrew North division, Superintendent Anthony Morris, said police in his division have also received reports of armed robberies carried out by women.

"We have been having a couple of robberies where females have featured. The females travel with a group of men and jump out of the vehicles with guns and rob people at gunpoint," Morris said.

Earlier this year, the Kingston West police arrested and charged a woman identified only as 'Tamara' after a high-speed car chase and shoot-out.

According to Deputy Superintendent in charge of crime for the Kingston west police, Arthur Brown, Tamara, was wanted for several armed robberies of gas stations all over the Corporate Area.

"They went on a robbery spree and were chased by police in Denham Town and were cornered at Metcalfe Street. The male driver escaped but she could not get out," Brown said.

"It's a serious concern and we're trying to analyse the data, get in touch with sources and arrest these people," added Ford.