Dr. Andrew Holness defends security forces in fight against crime and violence, following criticism by opposition

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has sought to defend the security forces, in their fight against crime and violence, due to continued criticism by the opposition.

Dr. Holness had brought a motion of extension for the Zones of Special Operations, (ZOSOs), to parliament yesterday, on behalf of National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang, who is recovering from a recent medical procedure.

Following the prime minister’s initial statement, some opposition members raised concern about crime and violence, in general, including the need to use other measures to tackle the problem. 

Fitz Jackson expressed concern about police killings, body cameras, closed circuit television.

While Antony Hylton raised concern about the long-awaited expansion of the ZOSO programme to other communities.

In response, Dr. Holness acknowledged that the ZOSO should be reviewed.

Dr. Holness noted the concern about police killings, even as he pointed to criminals challenging cops.

He also stressed that, in relation to body cameras, the issue is not as simple as outfitting cops with cameras, as the devices require significant back of house operations, to include storage, archives and network systems.