Criminals warned
Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday issued a stern warning to criminals that, even though the Government will not call a general election while there is a state of emergency (SOE), the Administration is not averse to using the enhanced security measure as a tool if, during that time, anyone attempts to destabilise the country.
“I had said I would not want elections under a state of public emergency. It is not my intention to hold any elections with SOEs in place. I do not want, however, criminals to feel that during a period of election Government will not act,” the prime minister said in Parliament.
“If an election is called and there is any attempt to destabilise and create any issues, and it is a tool that has to be used with consultation, it is a tool we will place on the table to be used,” he said, pointing out that the Government had received information about such intentions
“The intelligence is — and I am not saying this is in any way political — that there are people in our State who are trying to find routes, and they feel that a route is through Jamaica, and if they can beat the State, if they can corrupt our police, if they can corrupt our public officials they will,” the prime minister said during a debate on four resolutions to extend the SOEs now in force across several parishes for a further 90 days.
“Sometimes we are not seeing the hidden threat and they are here, and they are very active, and they are smart. They are well-educated, they have access to resources, and they will try subversive activities,” he said further.
Holness, who said he was not minded to disclose more, earlier in the sitting, told the House that law enforcement and public order remain paramount as there are people intent on creating harm in the society during the current COVID-19 crisis and they are not relenting.
“In fact, some criminal groups have been exploiting this crisis to continue their criminal activities. There are organised criminal gangs who are seeking to create hysteria, who are seeking to target distribution and retail chains, who are trying to put people in lines to create chaos and to start fights. We have picked up this intelligence. Let it be known that even though we are consumed with fighting this health epidemic, we have not relented nor are diverted in our efforts to fight the crime and murder and violence epidemic in this country,” he said.
In seeking support for the measures to extend the SOEs the prime minister disclosed that, based on figures for the period January 1, 2020 to April 15, 2020 in comparison to the same period last year, all serious crimes have shown a reduction.
He said murders and shootings have gone down by 0.5 per cent, from 395 to 393, and by 9.3 per cent, from 389 to 353, respectively, while robberies are down 15 per cent from 370 to 311. He also said break-ins are down by 20 per cent from 365 to 292, while rapes are down by 36 per cent from 185 to 118. Larceny, he said, is down by 54 per cent from 50 cases to 23 cases to date.
“We must control the crime virus which is taking the lives of our Jamaicans. More Jamaicans have died from murders now than Jamaicans have perished from the virus. This epidemic of violence has been with us for the last four decades,” he said.
Turning to the SOE for Kingston East, which was declared on January 26, 2020, Holness said a review of figures have revealed a reduction in murders and shootings for the approximately 81 days in comparison to 81 days prior. He said the Kingston East police division saw a reduction in murders of 89 per cent, moving from 28 murders to 23, and shootings of 91 per cent, moving from 22 to only two. The police, he added, detained a total 592 people of which 582 were released.
For the parishes of Clarendon and St Catherine, for which an SOE was declared on September 5, 2019, he said for the 224 days there was an overall reduction of murders and shootings of 30 per cent, moving from 241 to 168; while shootings dropped from 213 to 136 compared to the same number of days immediately preceding. He said a total 4,137 people were detained, of which 4,107 were later released.
For the St Andrew South area, for which an SOE was imposed on July 7, 2019, Holness said for the approximately 284 days since its declaration, there has been a seven per cent reduction in murders from 133 to 124 and a reduction in shootings by 16 per cent compared to the preceding 284 days. He said there was an overall reduction in violent crimes of three per cent. A total 2,091 people were detained of which 2,011 have since been released.
“This is probably the smallest of the SOEs in place but the intensity of crime in this area is reflected in the number of detainees and the marginal reduction in murders,” he said.
“The police have redoubled their efforts in the area, and if there is one SOE we should keep it would be the St Andrew South SOE,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile for the SOEs in Hanover, St James, and Westmoreland that came into effect on April 30, 2019 he said for the 352 days the areas experienced an overall reduction in murders of 25 per cent and a 28 per cent reduction in shootings. A total 3,275 people were detained of which 3,187 were released with 88 still in custody.
“Now is not the time for us to let down our guard.. now is the time for us to support the continuation of efforts to ensure that we not just address the epidemic of COVID-19, but also the epidemic of crime and violence,” he said.
Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips, while acknowledging that crime trending down was a positive, said the measure did not represent a long-term solution.
“The issue is not so much the question of the need to grapple with both crises, but what is the best mechanism to deal with both,” Phillips said.
Noting that the efforts to deal with the COVID-19 crisis have relied on provisions under the Disaster Risk Management Act, Dr Phillips said one view was that following on the passage of the Bill of Rights the powers are so extensive and tantamount to a state of emergency and best covered under Emergency Regulations that they would validate all the Orders and efforts undertaken.
This, he said, would further insulate the State from legal actions on the part of people who have been quarantined and who have had to stay away from their jobs. He said the situation as it exists was an untidy arrangement and, while the measures were well intended, could result in quite the opposite of what was hoped for.
In the end, the measures were passed with 44 members voting in favour and two against.