MONTEGO BAY, St James (GOOD NEWS) : Gov't gets support for public state of emergency..... Last year, approximately 335 murders were recorded in the parish.

BY MARK CUMMINGS Editor-at-Large WESTERN BUREAU cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, January 19, 2018

MONTEGO BAY, St James —The Government's decision to impose a state of public emergency in St James, has received overwhelming support from several individuals and groups across the western parish.

Members of the security forces making their
 presence felt on the streets of downtown Montego Bay
 yesterday. (Photo: Philip Lemonte) 

“I support the move. St James has been in the news for quite some time as it relates to crime, so the state of public emergency will be of great help. It will allow the security forces to do more detentions and cordons and searches without a warrant,” argued Mayor of Montego Bay, Homer Davis.

“We need some drastic measures to deal with the crime problem, because we cannot continue like this, and I believe that we will get the necessary results that we desire from the state of emergency.”

In recent years the parish of St James has seen a marked increase in crime and violence, especially murders.

Last year, approximately 335 murders were recorded in the parish.

Since the start of the year, there have been several shooting deaths, the latest of which was the brazen daylight killing of a motorist several metres from the Sangster International Airport.

The announcement by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to call the state of public emergency came just over four months after Mount Salem in St James was declared the first Zone of Special Operations in the parish. more