St Ann SOE nets 25 in first week

Several persons who were wanted for serious crimes have been included in the 25 taken into custody in St Ann, during the first week of the State of Emergency (SOE) in the parish, which Commandant SSP Dwight Powell, called “tremendous results”.

Speaking at a meeting arranged by the St Ann Chamber of Commerce last evening, Powell disclosed that murders, shootings, and robberies are among the offences the individuals have been detained for, as the security forces go after criminal elements.

He hailed the support given to the police by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), indicating their help led to the success achieved.

“We’re seeing tremendous results…my only wish is that we (could) have this for more than 30 days,” Powell said.

Powell welcomed the SOE as he believes it gives the lawmen added power to treat crime and criminality.

“It’s reassurance for law-abiding citizens in St Ann but a terror for criminal elements. There’s absolutely no hiding place in St Ann (for criminals),” he stated.

Powell told the meeting, at the Sir John McDowell Conference Centre, that while he was concerned about the crime rate in the parish, he was not worried, as the crime problem is not out of control and was being managed.

He admitted there was a challenge with robberies, as the figure has almost doubled compared to last year. For 2022, there have been 96 robberies recorded in St Ann, compared to 49 for the corresponding period in 2021.

The parish has also seen a jump in the murder figure, with 63 murders recorded since the start of the year, compared to 50 over the corresponding period last year. In 2020, during the pandemic, there were 17 murders over the same period.

In response to a question from the audience, Powell said although the police have the power to restrict movements under the SOE Act, they have decided not to do so “as yet.”

He disclosed that some social events have had their time slashed by two hours, with those originally scheduled to end at 2 am now required to end at midnight, while those with midnight deadlines originally, now have to end at 10 pm.

Powell appealed for motorists to exercise care on the road and disclosed that there have been 41 fatalities from 31 fatal collisions so far, compared to 32 fatalities from 30 fatal collisions in 2021.

Eight of those deaths have been as a result of crashes along the Llandovery main road.

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