PM assigns JDF colonel to coordinate intensified phase of gov't's anti-crime initiative

Syranno Baines, Gleaner Writer 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has assigned Colonel Roderick Williams of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) to lead the “intensified implementation phase” of Plan Secure Jamaica, the government's multifaceted anti-crime initiative.

Holness used an exclusive interview with The Gleaner in the new calendar year to reveal the assignment of Williams to the role of coordinator in the Office of the Security Adviser.

The prime minister did not confirm whether Williams, a 28-year veteran of the JDF, would move into the role as security adviser. Williams is currently a colonel adjutant quartermaster in the JDF.

The security adviser role was first occupied by Major General Antony Anderson before he was appointed police commissioner.

The announcement of the "intensified phase" of Plan Secure Jamaica comes as the prime minister tries to assure the nation that government would be doing all in its power to tame the crime monster without the use of emergency powers, even as he hangs on to hope that the Opposition will reconsider its position on the states of public emergency.

“We have lost an important tool but, we have not lost our motivation,” Holness declared this afternoon, moments after completing a series of consultations with the country’s security chiefs at Vale Royal.

“The chiefs have met and they have committed to me and they will respectively commit to the nation, to do as best as they can, using the regular policing powers,” he told The Gleaner.

The opposition’s decision to withdraw its support for the SOPE in St James, St Catherine North, and sections of the Corporate Area in December means all three are set to expire by the end of the month.

Speaking in Parliament at the time, Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips, cited a litany of concerns that have been raised about the states of emergency, which suspend the constitutional rights of citizens.

Among the issues Phillips highlighted was the legal opinion that the SOE could be unconstitutional, as well as a report by the public defender which indicated that only four per cent of the nearly 4,000 people detained by the security forces have been charged with any serious crimes.

Holness had extended an invitation to Phillips and his team to meet tomorrow to discuss and arrive at a consensus regarding solutions to the problem. However, the Opposition leader has since said he is not available to meet tomorrow.

“For the government, we take this matter as a life and death situation and we’re hoping that the opposition will see it in that light as well and that they will balance rights. We continue to reach out to the opposition...there's a meeting set for tomorrow between myself and Dr Phillips and his team. Hopefully we can reach to some understanding that would make the tools of the SOPE continue to be available for the benefit of the people of Jamaica.

At the same time, the prime minister also sought to reassure the country that the government is not attempting to use extraordinary powers as an excuse for not using regular policing powers.

“We’re not looking for an easy way out. The truth is that in some areas of Jamaica, crime and violence is above and beyond the capacity of regular law enforcement to handle. When you have such a situation, that is the definition of an emergency,” he said.

“What we try to do within the context of Plan Secure Jamaica is to use the extraordinary powers given under a SOPE to create the preconditions within which we could very quickly return to normal policing…..The truth is that we were not yet at the point where we could safely allow those areas declared under a SOPE to lapse.” he continued.

So, we are at a disadvantage I would say, having started our strategy to not having the opportunity to complete it. So we’re prematurely ending a successful strategy. Having said that, I still wish to give the public the reassurance that we’re going to do everything within our powers to ensure their security and to protect and build on the gains that have been made,” he added.

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