Member of Parliament for St. James Southern, Homer Davis, has welcomed the declaration of a State of Public Emergency (SOE) in the parish.

“The people of St. James, we don’t have a problem with SOEs,” chimed Davis in his contribution to the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives earlier last week.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced the enhanced security measure during a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House in St. Andrew on November 8.

The SOE will be in effect for an initial 14 days.

Davis, who also serves as state minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, said he believes that the SOE has a role to play in crime fighting in Jamaica.

He mused further that as a Member of Parliament for a constituency that has seen “rampant murders, I know what the citizens are feeling”.

“The people of St. James are not fearful of a State of Emergency. What they are fearful of are the criminals who are roaming their communities and committing murder and mayhem at will,” Davis said.

“I think it is full time for us, as a people, to drain the swamp of these criminals that are holding communities hostage,” he added.

The announcement of the SOE follows an increase in gang violence in sections of the parish, including the November 6 shooting death of two primary-school boys and another man who were travelling in a taxi, which was fired on by gunmen.