Prime Minister Andrew Holness is pleading with residents of a section of his West Central St Andrew constituency not to fear the proposed installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras there, as it will serve to protect them and foster economic success for all.
“The cameras will be positioned in such a way that they don’t invade your privacy, but they will enhance your security, so everyone will benefit,” declared Holness.
It will be another added investment in the area following Thursday’s commissioning of a concrete walkway at McDonald Place, which was done by Caribbean Cement Company at a cost of approximately $8 million.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Holness said the walkway and the removal of the zinc fences will “increase economic opportunities as well”, because the entertainment industry will benefit from having a well-paved area.
In noting that young men in the area are desirous of having a hip stripe in the community to compete with that on Olympic Way, Holness annouced that he will be making more investments in McDonald Place, including proper lighting, the construction of benches along the corridor, and the installation of CCTV cameras.
The announcement of the latter, however, appeared to have made some residents uneasy, with shouts of “No” coming from some of them.
In response to the uproar, Holness reiterated that the security cameras will not be put in place to spy on them.
“Once people know they can be safe in the area, more people gonna come to your party, more people gonna come to your dance,” he assured the residents.
“Security is the basis of all economic success… So, we don’t want to see who will be dancing with who and other things, but we will certainly want to see who fired the shot, if a shot was fired,” Holness stated.
