KINGSTON, Jamaica — The House of Representatives eventually passed the Zones of Special Operations Bill last night at ten o’clock.

The Bill was passed with 13 amendments, including some brought by Leader of Opposition Business, Senator Mark Golding.

At the end of the exercise which lasted over 11 hours, President of the Senate, Tom Tavares Finson, and Leader of Government Business and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, thanked a large number of representatives of the high command of the police and the military, as well as civil servants, who were involved in the marathon process.

Senator Tavares Finson likened the ordeal to “slaughtering a goat”.

”You don’t really want to sit there and look at it. But, the end result is quite often delicious,” he said.

The process was lengthened by a number of objections raised by Opposition senators, and amendments brought during the committee review, which concluded with a vote in favour of the much anticipated crime fighting Bill formally known as Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations0 (Special Security and Community Development) Act, 2017.

The Bill aims at balancing the need for security and giving members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Defence Force essential powers required to address serious crimes, while upholding the rule of law and protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens.

It was piloted yesterday by Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Senator Pearnel Charles Jnr.

It was passed in the House of Representatives on June 28, where it was tabled by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Balford Henry