State of emergency will not fix Mobay crime - police commissioner

Commissioner of Police Dr Carl Williams says a State of Emergency will not fix the deep-seated problems affecting crime in the parish of St James.

Speaking with the media last Saturday in Montego Bay, Williams responding to a recommendation that a Statement of Emergency should be called, asked “after this is done, then what?”

“The problems are not going to be fixed by a State of Emergency, or any significant police action, because they are social problems and they will have to be fixed socially.”

Assuring the media that the police will continue to perform its role, he said: “The police will be present in the communities, will be doing everything possible to reduce opportunities for murders and shootings to happen, that is to prevent crimes”.

He added: “And if and when these crimes happen, we do everything to find the criminals, the perpetrators and those who support them”.

He said after the perpetrators are found the next steps are the social fixes that are necessary in communities to ensure that the communities don’t go back into crime.

Admitting that he couldn’t speak on behalf of the policymakers, he noted that he was aware of plans to do some social re-engineering, so that some of the issues that drive crime can be adequately addressed.

The commissioner was in Montego Bay visiting residents in the community of New Ramble, Bogue, which is tagged a quiet area in St James, not known for any major criminal activity.

However, last Friday night some nine persons in the small district were shot by gunmen in a drive-by shooting. Three persons succumbed to their injuries.