KINGSTON, Jamaica, Wednesday May 2, 2018 – The Jamaica Senate is expected today to give the green light for the state of emergency (SOE) in the parish of St James to be extended for another three months, after the opposition gave its support to a resolution for the extension in the House of Representatives last night.
In making the case for allowing the SOE to remain in place in the parish that is home to Jamaica’s tourism capital, Montego Bay, until August 2, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the measure has been yielding results.
The SOE was introduced on January 18, and between January 1 and April 30, there were 62 fewer murders than during the corresponding period last year, Holness reported.
Although saying his People’s National Party (PNP) would support the extension this time around, Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips criticized the security forces’ strategy of “gathering up young men from poor communities” and gradually processing them, saying it would worsen the relationship between the police and the communities.
However, Holness insisted that detentions under the State of Emergency were not carried out arbitrarily.
“The actions of the police in conducting detention exercises are guided by, first, the preparation of what is called a hotspot mapping of the area; then it is paired with intelligence data on persons in the hotspot areas. The police use existing records of outstanding warrants. Quite a few persons who have been detained, were detained based on the fact that they had existing warrants,” he told his colleagues.
Meantime, St James business and tourism interests say they are in strong support of the extension of the SOE, arguing that “Montego Bay and neighbouring communities have never felt safer”.
Speaking after the House voted to extend the SOE, Mayor of Montego Bay Homer Davis said it was clear that the measure was working, and every effort should be made “to keep a good thing going”.
MAYOR OF MONTEGO BAY HOMER DAVIS (PHOTO CREDIT: JIS)
“We have to keep ostracizing the criminals…We can’t give them any breathing space. We have to speak with one voice as a nation and to let them know that there is no place where they will be safe,” he told the Jamaica Information Service.
He said since the SOE, crime has taken a welcomed nosedive and “the criminals are on the run”.
“If they are planning a ‘waiting out’ strategy, we have to show that our resolve is stronger than theirs. We can’t give them any opportunity to regroup…no opportunity to come back and set up shop,” the Mayor said.
“We have made some tremendous gains, which in no way we can allow to be reversed. That would be nothing short of a tragedy and something I am sure none of us want.”
For his part, Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said everything should be done to send the criminals a message that their days of waging terror on the streets are over.
“We have to remain committed. We cannot allow the crime situation to get back out of control,” he said.
Newly elected President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Winston Lawson, also welcomed the extension.
“The Chamber lauds the tremendous work of the joint security forces since the advent of the SOE and recognizes the significant successes in reducing the crime levels,” he said. “We hope the extension time is used to strategize in transitioning away from the SOE.”