ST JAMES, Jamaica — Following the recent upsurge in violence in St James, the Jamaica Labour Party’s Generation 2000 (G2K) is calling for an immediate reinstatement of the State of Emergency (SOE) the parish.

According to the G2K, the previous SOE ended prematurely in January following the People’s National Party’s’s decision to block its extension despite overwhelming support by residents of St James and clear evidence that the measure was making a meaningful impact on crime.

“Recent polls show that over 90 per cent of Jamaicans support the State of Emergency. One therefore wonders in whose interest the Opposition was really acting when they blocked the extension of the SOE, given that their decision runs completely opposite to the will of the Jamaican people,” G2K President, Stephen Edwards said.

“The Opposition should take their heads out of the sand and listen to the cries of the people, who are once again living in fear for their lives,” he added.

The G2k noted that since the SOE in St James ended there has been a clear spike in violent crimes in the parish. Criminals have been using the fact that there is no SOE as an opportunity to run rampant.

In a release, the G2K vice president and resident of St James, Daniella Allen, said “the fact that gunmen can be brazen enough to use high-powered weapons to spray a security company vehicle with bullets in broad daylight speaks volumes about how empowered the criminals feel now that there is no SOE.”

“The opposition’s insistence on blocking a crime fighting tool that was returning order and a sense of safety in St James is evidence of their blatant disregard for the lives the people,” Allen added.