Cops say gunmen saw routes soldiers took into Tivoli

Police believe Christopher 'Dudus' Coke and a number of gunmen who challenged the security forces on May 23 made their escape with the aid of a closed-circuit television (CCTV).

Head of the Criminal Investigation Branch, Assistant Commissioner Les Green, told THE WEEKEND STAR that the CCTV system was recently found in the 'Presidential Click' office which is known to be occupied by Dudus. The office is located in a section of Tivoli Gardens called 'Java' where Dudus is also known to hang out.

"A CCTV system was found in his office and we will be checking to find out the areas which it could monitor," ACP Green said.

In addition, the police will also be making further checks to find where the footage from the camera system was saved.

A number of sources are theorising that the CCTV system was used to the advantage of Dudus and his defenders who fled the community and the security forces as they invaded west Kingston.

The massive offensive led to the death of 73 persons, some of whom may have been murdered before the incursion actually began.

The death toll is said to be nowhere near the amount of men who barricaded themselves inside west Kingston, armed and ready to take on the security forces.

"This is one avenue by which we believe a decent amount of gunmen were able to escape ... If you think about 400 men from different parts of the island were here ready and waiting to take us on and we know they escaped. They could only do so with some good aid and this CCTV thing is one such way it could be done as they could see the points from which the security forces were entering and with that knowledge could plan their escape route," one source explained.

When contacted, one thug who chose to remain in the community, expressed surprise at the finding but said he believed some of his counterparts who escaped did so with some form of help. "A suh di boss a move camera and all these things mi neva know I swear," he said.

The thug who was among hundreds of men who vowed to fight for Dudus added: "Me neva run cause mi naw run lef my family eno but mi did always suspect dem know weh and weh dem coulda run, mi jus neva know how dem figure out weh fi go, so mi guess it mek sense now."

Even other residents claimed they were unaware of the CCTV system while the police say another set of cameras were found in a house also at Java.