PNP expresses concern about state of emergency in St Catherine
Due to the spate of violence in the parish of St. Catherine, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared a State of Public Emergency this morning, June 17.
The announcement of a state of emergency comes just hours before the Supreme Court rules in a constitutional case brought against the Emergency Powers Regulations 2018 that governed the State of Public Emergency in St James.
According to news reports, Holness said the government had to act to stem crime and violence in the parish. He added that the government has a duty to ensure the safety and security of law-abiding residents. A state of public emergency allows the security forces, or authorised persons, enhanced powers of search and arrest and limit the right of detained persons to due process (fair treatment). The measure can only remain in force for 14 days and must get the support of both Houses of Parliament.
But the Opposition People’s National Party has expressed concerns about the use of SOEs in crime-fighting. It voted previous efforts to extend the measures. St Catherine has been rocked with a series of shootings and murders since last week. In recent news releases, the police found two bodies in the trunk of a Toyota Probox motor car in a section of Portmore, St Catherine on Wednesday, June 15. The bodies were wrapped in tarpaulins.
Head of the St Catherine South Police Division, Senior Superintendent Christopher Philips, said the police suspected that the vehicle was parked in the area in the morning and may be linked to the recent gang feud in the parish.
Three people were confirmed dead as violence ensued in Spanish Town on Tuesday afternoon. According to news reports, gunmen shot dead a man known as ‘Mackerel’ and another man in the Spanish Town market, while multiple others were shot and injured. Also, people were left scurrying for safety as shown by a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the area. Another man was killed elsewhere in the town in a separate incident.
The violence left some business places closed, others opened later than usual and contributed to the low attendance of students in schools like the Spanish Town Primary. The Homestead Primary and Infant school returned online for classes and students were encouraged to stay home.
“There was also a quadruple murder committed in the Railway Lane area close to Tawes Pen last week,” according to news reports.
