Motorists who utilise designated parking areas on some streets in downtown Kingston are now being plagued by suspected extortionists who use large stones to deny access to these areas and are demanding money to allow parking.

Information reaching THE STAR is that the practice is popular among roadways such as Orange, Princess and Barry streets among others.

"If motorists come out of their vehicles to remove the stones, they meet up on resistance from thugs, verbal first, and then the motorists will back down," Special Inspector Noel Daley from the Harbour Street Police Post explained to THE STAR.

THE STAR also understands that in an attempt to avoid such encounters, motorists are now making use of 'no parking areas'.

"Most persons will park in no parking areas and take their chance with the police rather than face the extortionists," Daley emphasised.

'early bird' motorists

The police also explain that these large stones are placed in these parking areas from as early as 6 a.m. forcing 'early bird' motorists to 'gi dem a ting' to access parking.

Daley said that the stones are always removed by police officers on duty but within 15 minutes of the police leaving and returning, the stones are there again.

At the same time, the police are facing difficulty in arresting the culprits as motorists are reluctant to give statements and implicate the thugs for fear of their lives. "We have caught motorists handing over money, but in our endeavour to arrest these persons, the motorists seh a dem fren and dem jus a gi dem a thing," Daley remarked.

He reiterated that the police suspect that such responses are given by motorists for fear of retaliation from thugs. Nonetheless, at least two persons have been arrested and charged so far.

the police are appealing to motorists that whenever they meet up on any such situation, they are to inform the police as soon as possible.

"We know what they're going through, but we need their assistance to deter them from doing what they are doing," Special Inspector Daley explained.