MANCHESTER, Jamaica— Member of Parliament for Manchester Central Rhoda Moy Crawford has described the recent spate of gun violence in the parish as “disturbing”, as she encouraged her constituents to remain resolute in the fight against lawlessness.

In a statement on Thursday, Crawford sought to show support to her constituents who have expressed concern about the recent murders.

“As Member of Parliament for Central Manchester I stand in solidarity with my well-thinking and law-abiding constituents and wider stakeholders who are concerned and alarmed at the recent flare-up of violence in the parish. There have been several disturbing incidents of shooting in the parish, which has reportedly resulted in five deaths in the last few days,” she said.

“While the fear and anxiety that now grip residents and stakeholders of the constituency is understandable, as law-abiding citizens, we must never allow criminals and those who seek to wreak havoc in our beloved parish, to paralyse us or weaken our resolve to stand against lawlessness,” she added.

According to reports at least five people have been murdered and five others injured in Manchester in recent days.

The latest incident occurred  Thursday morning when a man was shot and injured during a reported shootout between gangsters in Greenvale, Mandeville in the parish.

READ: Man shot and injured in shootout between gangsters in Greenvale, Manchester

Crawford, in the statement, sought to assure the public that the police are using every resource to identify and detain the perpetrators of the violent acts.

“As Member of Parliament for one of the four constituencies in the parish, I want to assure
constituents and the wider public that the security forces, bolstered by support from the Government, are doing everything in their powers to identify the perpetrators, reassure and safeguard the citizenry as well as restore a sense of safety and normality to the communities as quickly as possible,” she said.

She went on to encourage those with information about the recent shootings to speak with the police, so “that peace and order can be restored to communities across Manchester.”

“We cannot allow this to become our new normal,” she stressed.