Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that States of Public Emergency (SOEs) have been declared for the entire parishes of Clarendon and St Ann, as well as the Kingston Western Police Division, following a surge in criminal activities in those areas.

Holness said that on the advice of the Commissioner of Police, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Governor General, Sir Patrick Allen, these SOEs are for an initial period of 14 days, beginning at midnight on February 15.

He said the government’s main priority is to use all lawful and constitutional measures to protect the lives of innocent citizens.

“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,” Holness said.

In December last year, SOEs were reimposed in St Ann, Clarendon, St Catherine and specified areas of Kingston and St Andrew to deal with the criminal activities in these areas, which Holness described as a threat to property and in some instances, public disorder.

READ: SOEs reimposed in several parishes

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, stressed that extreme criminality, as recorded in the specified areas, requires equally strong and decisive enforcement measures to protect law-abiding citizens.

“The Government is committed to taking the actions necessary to protect its citizens. In free and democratic societies like Jamaica, focused short-term enforcement measures are justifiable to save lives. The use of the States of Public Emergency in these instances is a necessary and effective response to the high level of criminal violence within the identified areas,” he said.

Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson, further explained that the Clarendon police division had the third highest murder across all police divisions, with a total of 15 murders.

He added that although the St Ann police division reported 50 per cent fewer murders in January 2023 than in the corresponding period in 2022, there was a 22 per cent increase in murders as of February 11.

Anderson also noted that 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 a 20 per cent increase in shooting incidents when compared to the same period in January 2022.