State of emergency opening hours of establishment for St Catherine, Clarendon

Under the Emergency Powers Act establishments such as churches and petroleum stations are permitted to operate between 6:00 am and 9:00 pm daily. Pharmacies, supermarkets, grocery shops and bars are all prohibit from operating beyond 8:00 pm, while night clubs and fast food restaurants are ordered closed by 9:00 pm.

Meantime, commander in charge of the Old Harbour Police Sub-Division DSP Damion Manderson is urging residents in the area to report the whereabouts of “wanted men, gang members and that of firearms and ammunition”.

“The police is seeking the corporation of all citizens to aid in the restoration of law and order within Old Harbour and its environs,” said DSP Manderson.

An SOE became necessary due to rising crime in both parishes. One hundred murders have been recorded in Clarendon since January, while more than 150 people have been killed in St Catherine over the same period.

At yesterday's press conference the prime minister said the SOE will remain in force initially for at least 14 days but not exceed three months.

He explained that the SOE has been declared as one of the security forces’ strategies to curtail criminal activities in these areas, particularly murders, which he said are mainly gang-related.

“The Government is not using the SOE as a substitute for regular policing. What the SOE does is to provide a respite in the number of crimes, particularly murders. It helps to expand the number of law-enforcement personnel that we have on the ground, it helps to restrict the free movement of the criminal enterprise and then that gives [the security forces] an increased ability to do their work,” Holness said.

Commissioner Anderson said that the objectives of the SOE are to establish and maintain a period of low violent crime in the volatile communities within these parishes; to curtail the free movement of criminal gangs and weapons and deny them the opportunity to commit violent crimes; to disrupt criminal enterprise; and to provide the opportunity for greater investigative focus on perpetrators of violent crimes and their facilitators.

“As we continue to advance strategies to reduce violent crime across all divisions, utilising the range of policing tools, especially a heavy emphasis on investigations and the use of technology, building better relationships with communities, as well as institutional capacity building activities, we must save the lives of our citizens and reduce the fear that families and communities feel when violence goes unchecked,” he emphasised.