PNP women condemn murder of senior citizen, grandchildren

The People’s National Party (PNP) Women’s Movement has condemned the barbaric murder of an 81-year-old woman and her two grandchildren in Tryall Heights, St Catherine.

In a release, the movement said it was again urging the Government to take concrete action to reduce the wanton slaughter of our citizens, and particularly our women and children.

According to president of the movement, Jennifer Edwards, the resources of the state are misused and the Government is either negligent or misguided in its attempts to reduce crime. She said the failure of this Government is evident in the skyrocketing crime rate, the brutal nature of the incidents, while trained security personnel are sitting aimlessly at checkpoints on main roads under what is described as ESM (Enhanced Security Measures).

“Our security forces could be better utilised in communities interfacing with residents and non-residents. Instead of three years of SOEs (states of emergency), and ZOSOs (zones of special operations) and ESMs with little to show, community policing would have allowed members of the security forces to have intimate knowledge of the security strengths and weaknesses of various communities. This would place the police in a position to not only be responsive in their role as protectors but to be preventive,” Edwards said.

Review Unattached Youth Programme

The women’s movement is also calling for a review of the Unattached Youth Programme, as instead of training these persons for the work, the Government chose instead to recruit and train them as soldiers, and then release them back into communities unemployed and disengaged.

Edwards said too many families are in mourning, and as the nation recognise the International Day against Violence against Women, we deserve and demand a strong response to the wanton criminality. The Government must act now in the interest of all.