Prime Minister Declares State Of Public Emergency in Three Corporate Area Police Divisions

Prime Minister, the Most Andrew Holness, on Sunday (Sept. 23), declared a State of Public Emergency (SOE) in sections of the Kingston Central, Kington Western, and St. Andrew South Police Divisions.

Making the announcement during a media briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Mr. Holness said the enhanced security measure will initially last for 14 days, and is a response to increased criminal activities several communities.

A Proclamation to this effect was signed by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen.

The SOE starts at the intersection of Oakland Road and Spanish Town Road in the north, and extends north-easterly along Oakland Road, south-easterly onto Waltham Park Road; north-easterly along Delamere Avenue; easterly along Delacree Road to the intersection with Maxfield Avenue; southerly along Maxfield Avenue; easterly along Rousseau Road; southerly along Lyndhurst Road then onto Studio One Boulevard, to the intersection with Slipe Road.

The eastern boundary runs from the intersection of Studio One Boulevard and Slipe Road, and extends southerly onto Orange Street; west, along Harbour Street; south, onto Pechon Street and southerly along Ocean Boulevard, to the shoreline in the vicinity of the Kingston Craft Market.

The southern boundary starts at the corner of Ocean Boulevard, south of the Kingston Craft Market, and extends north-westerly along the shoreline to the south-western corner of the PETROJAM compound.

The western boundary starts at south-western corner of PETROJAM and extends north-easterly along the western end of the oil refinery’s compound to a point of intersection with Marcus Garvey Drive; north-westerly along Marcus Garvey Drive to the intersection with Fourth Street; north-easterly along Fourth Street onto Third Avenue, then to Sixth Street, continuing north-easterly along a short segment of track onto MOU’s Trail to its intersection with Spanish Town Road; and north-westerly along Spanish Town Road back to Oakland Road.

Communities falling within the boundaries of the State of Public Emergency are: central downtown (market and business districts); Denham Town; Greenwich Town; Hannah Town; Jones Town; Tivoli Gardens; Trench Town (Rose Town and Arnett Gardens); and Whitfield Town.

Mr. Holness said the Government sees it necessary to use the extraordinary powers within the State of Public Emergency, to “address long standing and entrenched crime, and public order issues,” in some of the communities within the police divisions.

He emphasized that criminal activities have curtailed businesses, undermined the rule of law, and have deprived citizens of their general right to live peacefully.

The Prime Minister indicated that careful planning went into the security measure, taking into account traffic flows, students attending school, and business operations, while pointing out that the areas affected will get increased support from the security forces.