Gov't senator says Commish out of his depth, demands immediate resignation

Government Senator Charles Sinclair has released a statement calling for the Police Commissioner Dr Carl Williams to resign saying he is "out of his depth" in the anti-crime fight.

Sinclair, a former mayor of Montego Bay, says it appears that the Commissioner does not understand how the proposal for a state of emergency in St James could help to cut crime.

Since the start of the year, 129 people have been killed in St James, 24 more than the tally for the corresponding period last year.

"It is becoming clearer by the day that the Commissioner of Police is out of his depth," Sinclair said Sunday night.

A day earlier the Commissioner rejected the proposal for a state of emergency in St James as an effective measure to halt the murder rate there, saying the problem is social.

READ: Commish says state of emergency will not fix MoBay crime 

"For him to have interpreted the proposal to cauterise the run away murder rate with a State of Emergency to mean it being the panacea to fix the problem is disingenuous to say the least," Sinclair said.

"If those are in fact the words of the Commissioner of Police, it is my considered opinion that he should forthwith hand in his resignation to the Police Service Commission forthwith or alternately it should be demanded by said Commission, as it is clear that he does not appreciate the situation existing in the Parish of Saint James," he said.

Sinclair, the minority leader of the St James Parish Council, said a state of emergency would reflect a policy decision of the Government, which facilitate the State giving additional powers, human and other forms of resources to the Jamaica Constabulary in the Parish to cauterise the escalating murders.

"At this moment, there is a tremendous fear factor in the citizenry, children are unable to go to school as they are afraid to cross the imaginary boundaries in communities, people are afraid to go out to church, resource and community centres cannot carry on programmes as participants are fearful in going out to the events. If it is not police action that restores calm and peace in the first instance and in the shortest possible time, I don't know what else can do so," he said.