The fun and excitement of one of the most highly anticipated sports festivals on the globe depends on the event being safely executed and with over 35 thousand fans expected to descend on the National Stadium from today until Saturday, March 28, the security of fans and athletes is high on the to-do list of the organisers.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Gary McKenzie of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Strategic Operations Portfolio is the man with his hands full to ensure that while the passion of fans buoys the competitive spirit of the athletes, that passion does not escalate into negative behaviour, even if it means protecting them from themselves.
The ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) is historically a slow burn, building up from Tuesday’s opening day to the crescendo of Saturday’s final day when everything is on the line as schools chase the boys and girls’ crown and the experienced senior policeman told The Gleaner an incident-free championships is the objective.
“Each day we must make an assessment based on historical data and what we know to obtain and so different days may carry different numbers of persons and of course, we have peripheral patrol and response teams.”
Inkeeping with international best practices, ACP McKenzie would not publicise the number of security personnel that will be detailed at what is arguably the largest school track and field festival in the world, but was confident each day will be adequately covered.
“Our security and safety apparatus that we are responsible for is police personnel and police personnel are drawn from several police divisions as well as the public safety and traffic enforcement branch. Apart from security and safety, traffic management is also very important. We work along with several other stakeholders to include private security firms, the fire department, [Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergenc Management] ODPEM, Ministry of Health.”
ACP McKenzie also reminded fans that the area directly in front of the National Stadium’s main entrance on Arthur Wint Drive has been designated a pedestrian-only area, with traffic changes implemented from Thursday to Saturday.
It means that Arthur Wint Drive will be turned into one-way with traffic flowing in an easterly direction from Tom Redcam Drive before and during the event while it will be one-way traffic from Mountain View Avenue onto Arthur Wint Drive in a westerly direction. Herb McKenley Drive will be one way from north to south with all one-way traffic reversed at the end of events each day.
Large crowds are often fraught with tension, especially in a competitive atmosphere and the police are again conducting searches with items that can potentially be used as weapons, such as large umbrellas with sharp tips, confiscated. Licensed firearm holders are reminded their weapons will not be allowed into the event.
Other measures are also in place to ensure pedestrian control.
“We have restrictions in terms of where people can enter the venue, for example VVIP at gate E1 and E2 along Arthur Wint Drive, pedestrians will use gate E3, which is right in front of Statue Road. Vendors will have to enter via the Nannyville entrance and athletes and coaches through the turnstile from Mountain View Avenue, because that’s where they are going to do warm ups and so on.”
The event organisers reserve the right to eject fans deemed to be a security threat and disturbing the enjoyment of others.
“One of the things that will be prohibited as well is the smoking inside the venue. We will not be tolerating smoking. Also we usually have issues with congregation along the aisles within the venue. That will not be tolerated. So persons you know are asked, it is very important that they don’t do that and the reason for that you know in cases of emergency, there will be a challenge you know for the emergency teams to move quickly and to get people out and so on.”
The issue of scalpers have dogged events at the National Stadium for years and ACP McKenzie warned that this and other issues are under the police radar.
“Usually persons buy a lot of tickets before the event and they come into the sterile area where pedestrian traffic is and obstruct and try to sell tickets. We are advising patrons only to purchase tickets at the ticket office and they should not purchase tickets from persons who are selling secondary tickets because the organisers will not be responsible for any tickets that are bogus or counterfeit. And persons who choose to loiter and obstruct and hinder persons, the police will take action against those persons. They will not be allowed to do so. In addition, persons who park their vehicles and leave them unattended obstructing traffic, they will not come back and find them there (because) they will be towed.”
