Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said the imposition of a state of emergency (SOE) in Clarendon aims to prevent potential reprisals stemming from Sunday’s devastating mass shooting in Cherry Tree Lane in the parish.
Eight people were shot dead, including a seven-year-old boy, and nine others injured during the heinous crime.
At a press conference held at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and National Security Minister, Dr Horace Chang, declared the SOE in Clarendon for 14 days.
He said Government’s informed assessment is that high levels of violent criminal activity experienced within Clarendon is of such nature and of such a scale that it “endangers” public safety.
“This large single-day account of murders within the parish of Clarendon is attributed to ongoing violence within the division that had reached a tenuous magnitude, resulting in the eventual perpetration of murders as a means of intimidation, and further, as a form of reprisal as gangs seek to dominate existing turfs,” said Chang.
For his part, Holness said the security forces have been mobilised across Clarendon.
The police and military are seen in Clarendon after a mass shooting on Sunday. (Photo: IG via @jamaicaconstabularyforce)
According to the prime minister, an analysis of the intelligence available suggests that there is “a very high probability” at “attempts of retaliation and reprisals”.
Continuing, Holness said: “As Minister Chang pointed out that when incidents like these have occurred in the past, when you take the accumulated murders that are connected to the initial event, you end up in 10s, 20s and 30s.
“So, we are very careful in ensuring that this incident does not spark a string of additional murders, and therefore, the implementation of the SOE in Clarendon (became necessary),” he stated.
The prime minister was quick to point out that the security measure was not designed to be an inconvenience to law-abiding citizens.
On that score, Holness said the security forces will be “using this additional power in a very targeted and strategic way, while ensuring that the human rights of citizens will be protected.
“The rights of the victims, clearly, in my opinion, should take priority, but we also have a duty as a civilised country to show the criminals that we act within the law,” Holness indicated.
He said the conduct of the police force during their operations since Sunday’s mass shooting shows that they have been very professional, strategic and targeted.
