By Kate Chappell and Brian Ellsworth
KINGSTON (Reuters) – Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday declared a state of public emergency in parts of the capital Kingston and in some central and western parishes in an try and control rising crime linked to gang violence.
States of emergency give authorities increased powers, including the power to look buildings and perform arrests without warrants. Tuesday’s measures apply to areas that include popular tourist destinations corresponding to Montego Bay.
“We now have seen a rise in criminal activities in these areas and a threat to property and in some instances public disorder,” Holness said in a televised address.
“What we’re seeing with gang activities in these areas is cause for grave concern,” he added.
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Holness predicted a rise in murders over the following several weeks with the onset of the vacation season, when violent crime typically spikes.
Commissioner of Police Antony Anderson on Tuesday said 1,360 murders were registered in Jamaica between Jan 1 and Nov. 13, a rise of 6.8% over the identical period in 2021.
Gang violence was the explanation for 71% of those murders, he said.
Rights groups have challenged detentions carried out during states of emergency.
Jamaica’s Supreme Court this 12 months said authorities violated the rights of a person who said he was arbitrarily arrested and detained for months without trial during a state of emergency.
Jamaica, which has considered one of the region’s highest homicide rates, is searching for to crack down on gangs through laws that concentrate on organized crime and illegal guns.
(Reporting by Kate Chappell in Kingston and Brian Ellsworth in Miami; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
Copyright 2022 Thomson Reuters.
