PM Encourages Citizens to Continue Providing Information to Security Forces

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is urging citizens to continue providing critical information to the security forces, which will assist them in removing criminals and weapons from the streets, particularly in St. James where the State of Public Emergency is under way.

The Prime Minister was speaking in the House of Representatives on January 30.

He noted that the security forces have been operating in a commendable way and encouraged them to continue to respect the rights of the people and protect the confidentially of information given.

“People are seeing that the Government is serious, the Opposition is serious about crime. There is an evolving consensus that we must tackle this thing; that the police (are) acting in a way that is inuring and building the confidence. I think that we are on to a good thing if we can maintain the posture against the criminals,” he said.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister said the state of emergency will target persons involved in the importation of guns, drugs and other major crimes.

“The strategy can’t be simply to focus on the street-level criminals… the facilitators of lottery scamming, illegal importation of weapons, extortion, unaccustomed goods, drugs and murder; those crimes will be specifically targeted, and we have mobilised all law-enforcement agencies to deal with that,” he said.

During yesterday’s (January 30) sitting, all 51 members of the House who were present voted in favour of the Emergency Powers (Continuance) Resolution 2018, which will extend the State of Public Emergency in the parish of St. James until May 2, 2018. Eleven members were absent.

The State of Public Emergency was declared on January 18.