St James custos wants SOE to be extended

WESTERN BUREAU:

Bishop Conrad Pitkin, the custos of St James, wants the parish’s current state of public emergency (SOE) to remain in place until crime becomes more manageable, arguing that Montego Bay’s level of investment could increase if the present crime rate was lowered.

Pitkin made his pitch in a brief address during a town-hall meeting at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre in St James on Wednesday. The meeting was part of a series of activities by the Ministry of Local Government and the St James Municipal Corporation to celebrate Local Government Month under the theme, ‘Building Resilient Communities through Local Government.’

“We’re not without challenges, and while the city of Montego Bay is growing rapidly … if our crime rate was lower, the level of investment that this parish and city would attract would be far greater than what we’re experiencing today,” said Pitkin.

“I wish to use this forum to appeal to every citizen of this parish to come on board, and let us unite in defeating the crime monster plaguing our beautiful parish. I also appeal to the Government and the parliamentary opposition to give us your support by allowing the SOE to remain until crime becomes manageable in our parish,” the custos added.

Ongoing state of emergency

The ongoing SOE, which was declared for St James, Hanover and Westmoreland on April 30, has been extended to January 27, 2020, following a unanimous parliamentary vote on October 15. It was originally scheduled to expire on October 28.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness had announced a previous SOE for St James on January 18, 2018, in response to rising crime in the parish.

During the meeting, Lieutenant Colonel Garth Anderson, of the Jamaica Defence Force’s Second Battalion Jamaica Regiment, gave an account of some of the successes of the current SOE, which was declared as a tri-parish, Hanover, Westmoreland and St James, in April.

“As many as 25 firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition have been recovered since the start of the existing SOE,” said Anderson.

Anderson also spoke to the current calm in St James, which is coming on the back end of a major spike in murders, which have caused several stakeholders to publicly question the effectiveness of the SOE.

“St James recently enjoyed 10 consecutive incident-free days, with no murders in the parish. That might not seem like much of a success, but for those who remember where we’re coming from, you’ll agree that we must celebrate even these small successes,” said Anderson.