Emergency Powers Regulations for SOEs Tabled in House

The Emergency Powers (Parishes of St. James and Hanover) Regulations, 2023 and the Emergency Powers (Parish of Clarendon) Regulations, 2023 were tabled in the House of Representatives today (May 24).

States of Public Emergency are currently in effect in St. James, Hanover, and Clarendon for a period of 14 days.

According to a release from the Office of the Prime Minister on May 16, Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson, said the Clarendon Police Division has witnessed a significant increase in murders and shooting incidents, with a 67 per cent increase in murders and a 41 per cent increase in shooting incidents as at May 14, 2023, compared to the similar period last year.

“This necessitates the declaration of the State of Public Emergency. Although experiencing a decline in murders by 27 per cent, St. James still had the highest number of murders across all police divisions, with a total of 69 recorded. The division also had the fourth highest number of shooting incidents, with 34 incidents during the same period last year,” Major Anderson noted.

For Hanover, the Police Commissioner said that the division has witnessed the highest increase in murders, with a 75 per cent rise as at May 14, 2023, compared to the similar period in 2022.