Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that two new states of emergency (SOEs) were declared earlier today (December 6) by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, due to an increase in criminal activity, after the previous measures ended.

The first of the new SOEs is a re-imposition for the parishes of Clarendon and St Catherine, specified areas in Kingston and St Andrew and with St Ann added to the list.

A second SOE was also imposed in St James, Westmoreland and Hanover.

Addressing a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister this morning, Holness said the re- institution of the measures was needed due to an increase in criminal activity.

SOEs were previously imposed on November 15 and ended on November 29.

“Since the end of the last SOE, we have seen, unfortunately, an increase in criminal activities in these areas and indeed threat to property and in some instances public disorder,” stated Holness.

He added that Jamaica is also about to experience its first Christmas since the end of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA), which was imposed to control the spread of COVID-19. This means that the holiday season will see more persons on the road and the new measures are needed to ensure their safety, stressed Holness.

“The Government, after careful consideration, on behalf of the security chiefs, decided to advise the governor general that the [SOEs] were necessary and indeed appropriate to declare states of public emergency in these areas,” stated Holness.

Crime rate dropped after SOEs were implemented

During his presentation on the state of criminal activity in Jamaica, Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson stated that the murder rate dropped after the previous measures were imposed.

“In the two weeks prior to the declaration [of the previously imposed measures] the national murder figures were 36 and 28 respectively. In the two weeks during the SOEs, the national murder figures were 14 and 11 respectively, and in the week since the SOE, there were 27 murders recorded,” said Anderson.

He added that the murder rate in the SOE divisions also dropped when the measures were imposed. Two weeks before the measures were declared in the seven listed parishes, the murder rate was 30 and 22 respectively, stated Anderson.

But, when the measures were implemented on November 15, the murder rate dropped for the two weeks during which they were imposed to seven murders each week. The police commissioner added that the areas saw the murder rate increase to 20 after the measures ended on November 29.

Despite opposition from the People’s Nation Party (PNP), which blocked the extension of the previous measures through a vote in the Senate, Holness vowed that he would continue to protect the citizens of Jamaica, arguing that the SOEs have been effective in doing so.

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