Cops say road march had no incident

CURTIS CAMPBELL, STAR Writer

Police yesterday revealed that the carnival road march was crime free with no reported incident.

"None that I'm aware of," said, Senior Superintendent (SSP) Michael James, who was among a delegation of cops watching proceedings as the revellers marched on Constant Spring Road, St Andrew.

The police also mentioned that there were no incidents from men believed to be cross-dressers.

"That was the topic of discussion but no reports of anything," James said.

The road march filled the Corporate Area with thousands of revellers and bystanders determined to bask in a day of music, liquor and scantily clad people.

The road march started minutes after 10 a.m. and grew with every step of the journey, with persons joining from neighbouring communities, many without armbands.

Armed with refreshments, revellers gyrated on each other to the hard-hitting drums of soca music. The Seaview Gardens marching band was also out in full colours leading the parade, simultaneously providing the only live music at the annual event.

The Digicel, Appleton and Pure Country trucks were followed by a sizeable audience, and the DJs got strong responses for popular selections like Lucy, Vagabond and Differentology.

By midday, revellers jammed near the Bob Marley Museum. "Gwaan pon the ground now," the DJ yelled, as females proceeded to bend their backs with the palms of their hands on the hot asphalt. The sun and in some places rain, did little to affect the celebration of gyrating revellers.

Danielia McLean, sponsorship executive at Digicel, had this to say about the day's proceedings.

Phenomenal

"This year's road march was a phenomenal finale to the soca season. We've been on the road right across Jamaica spreading the spirit of carnival and we could not have ended it anywhere but Carnival central, right in the streets of Kingston. As a born and bred Jamaican brand, we are excited to be out with our customers, once again enjoying our vibes and culture, and sharing the moment non-stop."