ZOSO Brings Peace to Savanna-La-Mar Communities

Residents of Southern Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland, which is under a Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO), are enjoying a year of relative peace since the security measure was instituted on January 16, 2022.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon Andrew Holness, declared the ZOSO in the communities of Russia, Darling Street, and Dexter Street as a strategy to cauterise the rise in crime and return peace and stability to the areas.

Noting the effectiveness of the ZOSO, Head of the Westmoreland Police Division, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Wayne Josephs, told JIS News that murders have dropped to one compared to 15 over the corresponding period in 2021.

“That murder has since been solved. Somebody has been arrested and charged,” he said.

SSP Josephs reported that shootings have also declined by 50 per cent under the ZOSO.

“In 2021, that area had 10 shootings, and for that period of 2022 that area had five shootings, so you see the zone really made a big difference. Apart from that, when you talk to the people, when you go into the area, you can see that they are appreciative of the fact that the zone is in the area,” SSP Josephs told JIS News.

He noted that residents can now walk freely across turfs once controlled by warring factions.

“There are areas where persons couldn’t cross boundaries and borders, couldn’t cross particular roads, and so on, and the zone has afforded that to be taking place in the space,” SSP Josephs said.

He shared that another area of success is the synergy that has been built between residents and members of the security forces.

“Since the zone has been there, persons have become civil towards the security forces because they appreciate them being in the area, because people can now walk about freely. They can coexist without any war or animosity,” SSP Josephs pointed out.

To ensure the sustainability of the security intervention and social transformation measure, he said the Community Safety and Security Branch (CCCB) has been instrumental in forging critical partnerships with residents and stakeholders within the space.

“We have our Community Safety and Security Branch that goes in and has interventions with people… . So… now that the joint police-military team is in there and the area is not so toxic, the police go in to establish relationships with the people by facilitating dialogue, and the feedback has been good,” SSP Josephs told JIS News.