SOEs declared in Clarendon, St Ann and Kingston Western
Published:Wednesday | February 15, 2023 | 9:08 AM
The Office of the Prime Minister has announced that states of emergency have been declared for Clarendon and St Ann, as well as the Kingston Western police division, following a "surge in criminal activities in these areas".
The measures came into effect at midnight and will remain in force for 14 days.
Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson, has stated that, in the Clarendon division, murders are up 200 per cent and shootings up 100 per cent.
He said there were 15 murders and 4 shooting incidents over the period January 1 to February 12.
The police commissioner said early gains in St Ann have been reversed, with murders now 22 per cent higher than for the comparable period last year. The parish had recorded 11 murders up to February 11, with nine of them being gun-related.
Meanwhile, Major General Anderson said the Kingston Western police division had the highest number of murders and shooting incidents across all police divisions, with a total of 17 murders and 12 shooting incidents recorded from January 1 to February 10. This is a 31 per cent increase in murders and 20 per cent increase in shooting incidents when compared to the similar period in 2022.
The Office of the Prime Minister stated: "The declaration of States of Public Emergency will allow the security forces to carry out targeted operations to disrupt and dismantle criminal gangs and their networks and prevent the occurrence of serious crimes."
It further stated that the safety and security of all Jamaicans remain the top priority of the Government and urged all citizens to cooperate with the security forces.
“Organised gangs are the main source and cause of violence, leading to fear and terror in some communities. The Government must protect innocent citizens from these criminal gangs and therefore must act,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said.
Nationally, there has been a reversal of some of the gains made at the start of the year as it relates to the murder rate.
On January 23, the police reported that murders were down 47 per cent. It slipped to 37 per cent days later and now the percentage decline in murder stands at 26 per cent.
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