Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development believes that some modern churches are competing with the dancehall entertainment sector with the amount of noise they make.

Speaking at the Trelawny Municipal Corporation’s monthly meeting recently, McKenzie took issue with the amount of noise emanating from some churches. He believes that it is just as disturbing to individuals within the vicinity.

McKenzie said: “It’s not just the party people dem alone make noise, the people dem inna the church make noise too. So it is not only party people that we are talking about, we are talking about everybody that makes noise to disturb their neighbours.

“I used to go to church as a young boy, as an altar boy, I am an Anglican. We never have the kind of noise and I used to live beside a Pentecostal Church on Bond Street, but it wasn’t that loud, because the churches now have amplified the noise. Some of them even have more equipment than the dancehall people them So I am wondering if the sinners are that far away.”

The issue of night noise has been a long-running one. The Noise Abatement Act was this week amended to allow for later cut off hours for entertainment events during the holiday period.

— CMC