Businesses on Court Street have called for more consistent policing efforts to prevent and deter crime in the area.

There has been an increased police presence in the northeast section of Hamilton since Janae Minors was killed in her salon on September 16.

Many Court Street business owners were concerned about their safety but they all agreed that the incident pointed towards larger problems with security.

A tailor, who asked to remain anonymous, said that police should have been on patrol more heavily beforehand.

He added that, had this been the case, the shooting might have been resolved faster or even avoided.

He said: “You can’t wait until you hear something and somebody calls over to the station to tell you something happened up the road. You should be out there.”

The tailor said that last month’s shooting, which claimed the lives of Natrae Eversley, 23, and Nakai Robinson, 18, and left a third person injured, should have been the catalyst to bring in more police officers.

He explained: “In your mind, as an officer, you must think ‘this is not normal and it’s going to escalate to something again’.”

The tailor said that he was not concerned about his safety because his store had historically been away from any incidents.

However, he added that some customers had been apprehensive to visit because they worried about their safety.

He also said: “It’s sad for me to see that a guy can just walk into a place, shoot somebody and then walk out.

“It’s really, really sad, because those are things that never should be happening.”

An 18-year-old man was arrested last week in connection with the murder of Ms Minors and a shooting on Devon Spring Road, Devonshire, that left another 18-year-old man injured in the early hours of September 10.

A beautician, who asked not to be named, said that Ms Minors’ shooting made her fearful for her safety and that she did not let her children visit her at work.

She said that the increased police presence felt comforting but that the lack of working security cameras near where the shooting happened felt like “a slap in our faces”.

She added: “It’s almost like they don’t care.”

The beautician said that, while the shooting did not impact business, many customers asked for her to lock her doors during appointments.

The beautician said she had done this before but only when she first opened her store a few years ago and did not know anyone.

She added: “Because of the situation now, [my fear is] more so, like, ‘if something happens, is somebody going to come running in here?’.”

The woman said that the Court Street community was friendly and “like a little village”, which only added to the tragedy of Ms Minors’ death.

She said: “I never felt like I couldn’t come to work and didn’t care about knocking off late but I guess now it’s definitely different.

“It just seems like, with the mindset of these little boys, anything can happen, so I would just rather not be here after hours.”

There are CCTV cameras at the intersection of Court Street and Dundonald Street near where the shootings took place but they were not online.

Darrin Simons, the Commissioner of Police, earlier explained that the CCTV cameras were installed a few days before Ms Minors was shot and were being set up during the incident.

He said that hooking up cameras in the city was “a complex issue” that required electrical work and trenching, as well as training operators to monitor footage.

A stylist, who also asked not to be named, said that it was “appalling” that police visibly increased after the shootings when they should have been present before.

She added: “It’s pathetic because you’re trying to do stuff now when you should’ve been doing it.”

The woman said that she had gone from seeing no officers in the years she had been on Court Street to once having eight officers visit her business in a day.

However, she added: “To me, it feels like they have to do something now when they should’ve been doing something this whole time.”

The stylist said that she was not worried about her safety because many of the incidents on Court Street appeared to have been targeted.

However, she added that her customers felt “nervy” after the most recent shooting.

“They would still come and patronise the business,” she explained. “But I think they’re fearful.

“They’re thinking someone’s going to come in there at some point and just shoot somebody.”

She added: “Unless you’re coming in here with your foolishness, you really shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

Despite the concerns, the stylist said, her business remained unaffected.

Police have been approached for comment.

Anyone with information was asked to call the serious crime unit on 247-1739, Chief Inspector Derricka Burns on 717-0921, or to e-mail her at dburns@bps.bm.

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