Prayer amid bloodshed as state fights back
Locals putting faith in God, hoping for success as SOE imposed in crime-torn St Catherine
Published:Saturday | June 18, 2022 | 12:08 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Locals in crime-weary St Catherine are not only banking on the Government to save them from the bloody tide wreaking havoc especially in the capital, but are also sending up prayers to the heavens for a reprieve from the violence.
While Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ announcement of a state of emergency (SOE) being imposed in the parish on Friday provided some relief that a deployment of heavily armed forces could provide some security and weed out outlaws, many who have witnessed the recent killings in the market district remain uneasy.
“I feel sad over the condition, but anyway, God a God. We will hold the faith as when you feel discouraged, you walk under Jesus’ blood,” said an elderly woman in the market.
She urged Jamaicans to pray for protection when exiting their homes and give thanks whenever they returned home safe.
Commissioner of Police Antony Anderson announced at a press briefing on Friday morning that there are 12 active gang rivalries in the parish, which have resulted in multiple gun attacks and fatalities.
Eighty-two people have been arrested for the possession of illegal firearms, ammunition or both.
The police have also seized 59 illegal guns, an increase of 28 per cent compared to last year.
Despite this, Anderson assured Jamaicans that the police would continue to prosecute gangs and gang members as they lead active community engagement programmes across the parish.
He reported that as at June 15, the St Catherine North Police Division had recorded 70 murders and 51 shootings, representing increases of 52 and 72 per cent, respectively, when compared to the corresponding period in 2021.
The St Catherine South Division has recorded 58 homicides, the same figure for the corresponding period last year, while there has been a 23 per cent increase in shootings on the 43 recorded last year.
“Six weeks ago, the St Catherine South Police Division was experiencing a reduction in murders by 40 per cent. The recent conflicts in the St Catherine North Division have extended themselves into the southern sections of the parish to include Portmore and Old Harbour,” Anderson reported.
Migrating criminals
He noted that the parishwide SOE was declared to widen the net to capture migrating criminals seeking to hide out in various sections of the parish.
“We’ve seen the data. We have demonstrated through previous SOEs that this methodology have been very effective in quickly reducing violent crimes,” he asserted.
While making their way through the Old Capital, two elderly women told The Gleaner that they appreciated the efforts of those working to ensure their safety.
Business operators have lamented experiencing difficulties conducting trade in a tense atmosphere, with things becoming especially more difficult after this week’s explosion.
“But if is something to ease down the tension, we will work with it,” one butcher shop worker said of the SOE implementation.
He, however, remained concerned about its long-term effectiveness, stating that once it was discontinued, the criminals would return.
He proposed that security personnel consider setting up “small camps” in all the communities in which gun violence has been rampant to restore calm.
One market vendor pointed to a location near her stall that she had designated as a safe haven should there be a need to dart for cover in a split moment.
Anything can happen. And at any time.
One bartender from Cumberland Road, one of the hotspots of gang warfare, has opted to quit her job.
Noting that she did not live in the area, she deemed it too risky to leave her community to work in a violence-prone environment.
Dennis Robotham, president of the St Catherine Chamber of Commerce, told The Gleaner that Friday had appeared promising for business, but with ongoing violence, “fear is an understatement” of what the people were experiencing.
The relatively few shoppers out on what would have normally been a busy day for commerce was sign enough for him that normality had not yet returned.
“But I think with the presence of the security forces, that is a little comforting for the business people [and] the consumers,” he said.
Robotham noted that the business people of Spanish Town were resilient because they were “well versed in the management of scenarios like this”.
He recommended that more people install public-facing surveillance cameras to boost the islandwide JamaicaEye network designed to boost security, confident that this would put a dent in criminal activity.
Andrew Wheatley, the member of parliament for St Catherine South Central, told The Gleaner that he was in support of the declaration of the SOE as it would help citizens to feel at ease.
He noted that in his own constituency, residents have been fearful of the uptick in violence and the deaths of several innocent people caught up in the bloodshed as rival gangsters target each other’s relatives.