This was one of the decisions made during a meeting that Minister Bunting held with Police Commissioner Owen Ellington and Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Antony Anderson this morning in the wake of Monday night’s rape of five females in Irwin, St. James.

            This deployment is in addition to the 125 security personnel who were sent to the parish two weeks ago.

            A senior team from the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse, CISOCA headquarters in Kingston, will also join the investigators, providing support and other services.

            “The Commissioner of Police has given the undertaking that a sustained security presence will be maintained in the communities, and all capabilities, including personnel from the Canine Division and Forensics will be sent to St. James immediately”, said Minister Bunting.

            Staff from the JCF Chaplaincy Unit will provide counselling services, while members of the Community Safety Branch will work with the residents to give them some measure of reassurance and bring back confidence to the community.

            Minister Bunting said the rapes were an abhorrent, repulsive act of criminality on the most vulnerable in the society, our women and children.

            He noted that the men who carried out the dastardly act have mothers, and may have sisters and daughters and should be protecting, rather than attacking females.

            The National Security Minister deplored the fact that the attack occurred in the one place where women and children are supposed to feel safe – the sanctity of their homes - and said while it was unacceptable to inflict any form of brutal violation on any individual in such a beastly manner, the attack on a young child is particularly horrifying.

            Minister Bunting said all the necessary resources of the security forces will be put into bringing the criminals to justice. 

            The National Security Minister said law enforcement personnel will leave no stone unturned in their quest to find the men, noting that investigators will go house-to-house to conduct investigations in the affected communities.

            “These men live somewhere and there are persons right now who know who they are, and know of the heinous acts they have committed; they need to turn these criminals in to the police,” said Minister Bunting.

            He reiterated that there are anonymous ways of passing on information to the police using 811 or 311, and encouraged those with information about this, or any other crime to come forward. 

            He urged residents to cooperate fully with the police as they will not be immune from a similar attack.

            Minister Bunting expressed his profound sympathy to the victims and their families, noting that rape survivors experience posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and other forms of psychological distress for months, and sometimes years, post assault.

             “My heart goes out to you, and the Ministry of National Security will work with the relevant Ministries and agencies to provide counselling and other emotional support following this ordeal, said Minister Bunting.