Unless an extension is granted, tomorrow will be the last opportunity for members of the general public to submit their views on the zones of special operations and their effectiveness since first introduced three years ago by the Andrew Holness adminstration.

 A joint select committee of parliament has been appointed and sat for the first time in December to begin its consideration and review of the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act, 2017.

The ZOSOs were established by the government in an attempt at ensuring a lasting impact on crime and criminal culture.

Durng that first meeting on December 10, committee chair Dr Horace Chang, the minister of national security, noted that review of the legislation and its effectivenesss was one of the commitments made by the Government when it first began targeting vulnerable communities in 2017.

There have since been four ZOSOs – Mount Salem in St James; Denham Town in Kingston; as well as Greenwich Town and August Town, both in St Andrew.

The committee, as it reviews the operations that have taken place so far, is looking to hear from, among others, the Jamaica Defence Force, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Church, community groups and residents who have experienced the ZOSOs.

We have had four declared so far, and we are looking at the results of these so far and then we will examine what changes may be made to the legislation to improve on what we have,” Chang told committee members.

He noted that positive impacts have already been seen in these communities and that the Government has been considering at least another 18 that have been identified for possible intervention.

In his own comments, committee member Delroy Chuck, the minister of justice, said it was important for a number of persons from each of the communities to address the committee and indicate what they believed to be the successes or shortcomings of the ZOSOs.

“In other words, let us get a feedback from those who were on the ground. so we can have an idea how we move forward with other ZOSOs,” he said.

Persons or groups providing written submissions must do so by February 1, 2021, either through email at [email protected] or addressing them to:

Clerk to the Houses

Gordon House

81 Duke Street

Kingston

Acording to a a public notice at japarliament.gov.jm, persons making written submissions may be required to appear before the committee at short notice to explain their submissions.