SOE more than Band-Aid treatment, lecturer, JHTA president argue
Former MBCCI head likens emergency measure to wound that’s difficult to treat
Published:Thursday | November 9, 2023 | 12:35 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
A LECTURER at the University of Technology, Western Campus, says the State of Emergency (SOE) should be extended to more than two weeks so that the security forces can make the impact needed in cauterising murders in St James.
“The opening of fire on the public in a taxi required an emergency action,” Carlton Henderson, a statistician and mathematician argued, justifying the action taken by the Government yesterday morning, adding that every time there is an SOE, there is a drastic reduction in crime.
“Once you take those criminals off the street and have them in holding, they don’t have the opportunity to go out and kill people,” Henderson said.
Calling the latest implementation a necessity, the university lecturer said the biggest advantage available to the police at this time is increased power to be able to search and arrest without a warrant.
Placing holes in the argument the crime-fighting method was a Band-Aid and that psychologically, owing to how often it is called, the fear factor is reduced, Henderson pointed out that the criminals will act as long as they have the opportunity.
“I don’t worry about that. Once we are able to get by them, that is what is important,” he said.
Murders down
The university lecturer pointed out that murders in St James were down and were at 161 compared to 180 the same time last year, a 10.8 per cent reduction.
Shootings, the source of most of the murders, are also down by 8.8 per cent.
“I am proposing that we go even longer than the initial two weeks until we are able to bring back some semblance (of order),” he told The Gleaner yesterday evening.
His comments were bolstered by president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association Robin Russell, who said that having gone through a few SOEs, the parish was stronger for it. Moreover, he said there was no way the police could sit and watch citizens being murdered mercilessly.
“We have to protect our people. Some of them are children of our workers, some of them are our workers,” he stated.
Russell said he was concerned about the death of the two children who were killed on their way from school.
“It is unacceptable. Protecting lives is paramount,” he posited.
Russell, who is also a hotelier, said it was important to look at the bigger picture.
“It stops the reprisals and gets some people out of the space,” he said.
According to Russell, he is not aware of any cancellations of vacations booked for the island because of the killings.
Both men did not get the support of former president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lloyd B Smith, who is also an opinion columnist.
Smith says the SOE is yet another Band-Aid on a putrid wound that will not go away until meaningful, lasting, sustainable measures are put in place to deal with an endemic problem.
“While there will be a lull in criminal activities during this period, it is cold comfort to citizens. Once removed, it will be business as usual for the criminal elements,” he argued, pointing out that St James has been down this down this road so often that there is a numbness in the minds of many concerned citizens.
“We are in a dark place with, seemingly, no plans. I am suggesting collaborative efforts between the ruling party and the Opposition to come up with an effective plan of action,” he recommended.