Gov’t faces heat for new SOEs

WESTERN BUREAU:

In a unified chorus of dissent, both Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and Senator Peter Bunting, shadow minister for national security, have raised their voices against the Government’s latest impositions of states of emergency (SOEs).

Both JFJ, a prominent human rights advocacy group, and Bunting have underscored concerns about constitutional breaches and the potential misuse of security measures for political gain, after the Government announced SOEs for Hanover, St Catherine, and Clarendon, while extending enhanced security measures in St James for another 14 days.

JFJ, in a statement yesterday, criticised the Government for the rolling imposition, labelling it a circumvention of constitutional requirements and disconcerting signal of bad governance.

“The SOE is a reactive response to rising criminal activities,” JFJ stressed, noting the Government’s failure to consult Parliament before declaring a new round of measures.

Questionable constitutionality

The organisation accused the Andrew Holness administration of flagrantly disregarding constitutional mandates and heightening fears of autocratic decision-making tendencies.

Citing legal precedence, JFJ contended that the constitutionality of using SOEs as a routine crime-fighting measure is questionable, urging a re-evaluation of the Government’s approach to maintaining public safety.

Adding his voice to the discourse, Bunting raised a red flag over the timing of the SOE declarations, pointing out a concerning pattern coinciding with the governing Jamaica Labour Party’s 80th annual conference for the second consecutive year.

Bunting asserted that the Government’s use of SOEs seems more performative than effective, suggesting a potential misuse of security measures for political optics rather than genuine crime-fighting efforts.

Drawing attention to crime statistics, he highlighted what he considered a troubling reality that, “despite eight years of consecutive SOE declarations, the annual number of murders has increased significantly, compared to the previous Portia Simpson Miller administration”.

Bunting concluded by urging a shift from mere declarations to a comprehensive, collaborative effort addressing the root causes of crime and violence.

A 30 per cent increase in murders in Hanover is believed to have caused that once-peaceful locale to be added to the roster. Since the start of the year, some 64 deaths have been reported in the parish, compared to 44 the same time last year, police statistics have shown. The latest incident occurred on November 10, during a domestic dispute between two security guards that ended in a murder by stabbing.

The parish’s current state of affairs is being blamed partly on its location.

“Hanover is between two hotspots, St James and Westmoreland, so we are caught between a rock and a hard place,” Dr David Stair, custos of the parish, told The Gleaner.

Stair also argued that, whenever there is major construction in the parish, there is usually an increase in crime, in addition to the fact that the parish over the years is under-resourced.

One consolation the parish can look forward to is that, outside of the SOE, the new Hopewell Police Station is set to be opened by the end of the year.

Up to 3 p.m. yesterday (Thursday), St James boasted a 100 per cent reduction in crime, since November 8 when the last SOE was called. However, the death of 34-year-old Okeem Robinson in the Fustic Road area of Montego Bay sullied the record.

Robinson, the first person to be murdered in 15 days, was a vendor from Burnt Savannah, St Elizabeth, who was shot in his head by a lone gunman while sitting along the roadway. He was pronounced dead at the Cornwall Regional Hospital.

His death brings the murder toll in the parish to 170, compared to 185 up to the same point last year.

St James’ SOE was called after a triple killing in Flower Hill on November 6, which saw the tragic shooting deaths of two students of Chetwood Memorial Primary and a man who was reportedly the killers’ target.

‘SOE a nuisance’

Over in Clarendon, this latest bout is not getting the support of business operators either, with businessman and president of the Clarendon Promoters Association, Denton Atkins, saying they are not in agreement.

“We find the SOE to be a nuisance that restricts the movement of law-abiding citizens going about their business. It is no guarantee of solving of crime. In fact, it decreases productivity by nature,” Atkins told The Gleaner.

The businessman classified the measures as a flawed method which is resource-deficient, and called for the Government to redirect resources to proper policing and investigative procedures.

“They need to place CCTVs across the parish. We are not convinced that making criminals aware of your strategy is a strategy that will reap any rewards,” he lamented.

Even more concerning, he said, is that, heading into the Christmas season, SOEs will certainly hamper businesses from making money in a period in which all business operators expect to make an extra dollar.

“After being locked in by COVID-19 over the last two years, it is surprising to see the Government repeatedly selecting this method, which is unilateral,” he stated.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com