Opposition spokesperson on national security, Peter Bunting, claims that the Government has failed to reduce crime with states of emergency (SOE) as reports indicate that 21 murders have occurred since last Friday’s extension of the enhanced security measure.

Bunting said that the Government has boasted about the success of the SOEs, recently implementing the measures in five parishes and one police division. However, numbers do not reflect the method is effective.

“The prime minister, the minister of security, and the commissioner of police must be held accountable by the people of Jamaica for failing to ensure the safety of our communities. It’s imperative to adopt a more comprehensive and nuanced approach that targets the root causes of crime while safeguarding the lives and security of all Jamaicans,” argued Bunting.

SOEs were declared in the parishes of St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St Catherine, Clarendon, and the St Andrew South Police Division last week Friday (December 8).

Bunting pointed that under the enhanced security measures, a second-form student of Anchovy High School in St James, Randy James, was fatally shot while seeking shelter at a bar during a sudden downpour on Friday. A well-known businessman, William ‘Baba Roots’ Webb, was also killed at his home in Darliston, Westmoreland on Sunday.

The Opposition spokesman added that there was the double murder of the two Moodie siblings, 22-year-old Keneisha Moodie and 20-year-old Kerrick Moodie, in Westmoreland, and the double murder of the Thompson brothers, 20-year-old hotel worker Odane Thompson and 18-year-old chef Jevaughn Thompson, in Green Pond, St James on Saturday.

Another Beryllium courier truck was attacked by gunmen in Grey Ground, Manchester on Monday.

Bunting asserted that the occurrence of these incidents under the SOE “demonstrates the impunity with which criminals feel they can operate”.

He added that the Government’s constant use of SOEs further evidence of a lack of ideas on how to curb crime in Jamaica, and demanded an immediate re-evaluation of Jamaica’s crime management strategies.

“The Opposition remains available to the Government to partner on national security as we believe it requires every hand on deck. We have proposed cutting-edge crime-fighting tools, coupled with comprehensive social intervention programmes and heightened investment in law enforcement, as
practical pathways toward a safer Jamaica. It’s time to abandon failed strategies and embrace a multifaceted approach to tackle crime and violence head-on,” said Bunting.