Jamaica rolls out new state of emergency over crime
(CNS): Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has rolled out a state of emergency in several parishes and police divisions, including in tourist areas, in response to the escalating violent crime in parts of the country. Holness made the announcement during a press briefing on Tuesday, according to a release from the Jamaican government. “My job as your prime minister is to ensure that my people are safe, and I will not stop until that is achieved,” he said.
St Ann, Clarendon, St Catherine, specified areas in Kingston and St Andrew, St James, Westmoreland and Hanover were all affected.
Holness said that after careful consideration, the government thought it necessary to protect lives. “Since the end of the last SOE, we have seen, unfortunately, an increase in criminal activities in these areas and, indeed, a threat to property and in some instances public disorder,” he said. The country’s last state of emergency ended in November after efforts to extend it were blocked by the Senate.
This will be Jamaica’s first Christmas since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and already the country is expecting an increase in activities, including entertainment and commercial events. “We are already seeing a demand, a stretch on the resources, and we have to guarantee our citizens that they will be able to go about their business in a safe and secure manner,” Holness said, as he justified the imposition that will increase police powers.
While the high crime rate in Cayman’s neighbouring island is nothing new, there has been an increase over the last year of fugitives from Jamaican law enforcement landing here illegally, attempting to take refuge. These included four men who were deported in August and murder suspect Rudolph Almando Shaw (30), who was deported in July. But after he escaped from the Kingston lock-up in October, he was shot by the Jamaican police.
While there are concerns that criminals from Jamaica are coming to Cayman and committing crimes here, Deputy Police Commissioner Kurt Walton stressed at a recent press briefing in relation to the Cayman Islands’ own crime spike that the suspects involved in the recent string of robberies are all local people.
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Category: Caribbean, Crime, World News
Jamaica is a beautiful country, with a great deal of wonderful people. I love it. The food, the people and the scenery. Every time I go to Jamaica, I come back to Cayman recharged and balanced. Yeah they have their challenges, mostly self-inflicted, but that’s not unique to just Jamaica. If we don’t want to “become like Jamaica” then stop hiring them or marrying them. Can’t have it both ways.
As someone who is half Jamaican, I always say our greatest mistake was going independent from the UK. Cayman made the best decision to stay British, and if we had stayed British, we may have been as well off as Cayman is today. Unfortunately we can’t turn back the clock, so Jamaica needs a complete overhaul and a government that actually cares about it’s people, and not it’s pockets.
It will never happen
Cares about its people and not it’s own pockets??? Bro, that not Cayman!
Good Luck. Criminals run JA now. Cayman watch our Borders!!!
“Cayman watch our borders”? Are you joking?
Criminals might also run parts of our country, but they don’t seem to be concerned about any interference from anyone.
Sorry to say, but Jamaicans run Cayman now. So expect same.
Need one in West Bay too.
Jamaica murder rate was 3.9 per capita, before it went independent. It is now a staggering 45.8 per capita. How can you blame England for 60 years of poor self control? Ask Bustamante and Norman, what happened to the money? Stop blaming other countries for your own greed and corruption!! When they had the peace concert for Michael and Edward, what was done? Each politician imported weapons to fight against each other supporters!! Poor excuse for your own people greed and corruption!! What Bob said: total destruction only solution!!
Per 100,000. Even at 190/100,000, in the worst neighbourhoods, that’s 00.19% probability of being murdered, and about even with Honduras. Even the Cayman Islands is nearly double the USA national average, though our successive crime and corruption friendly governments haven’t shared this data with the world bank since 2014.
Jam Rock is here to stay unless WORC stops the importation.
Hm-m-m-m-m….. WORC??? Are you kidding?
Has WORC ever stopped anything that needed stopping?
H-m-m… I can’t think of anything.
WORC doesn’t write work permit applications. Look in the Mirror Cayman.
So this must be why Cayman has so much petty crime.
Their criminals and crime have already spilled over (or canoed over) to our shores unfortunately.
Jamaica is here now. get used to it. it getting no better. someone somewhere isn’t doing their job in border control here.
AMEN!!!
Well as we saw in the Case of Mr. Rudolph “Boxer” Shaw, suspects being referred to as “Local” cannot be inferred to mean Caymanians considering our immigration history. Even with that, defining who is Caymanian differs from person to person, and nobody really understands the immigration law definition. Either way, we in a mess.
Jamaica IS a state in emergency for years now unfortunately.
Cayman Islands soon be just like Jamaica. It get worse every year.
That country went from first class to first class shithole within a generation. What it did, it did to itself. When the British handed it over it was fine. One of the safest countries on earth. Its culture, like its people, is beautiful, vibrant, and fundamentally and very dangerously flawed. We should have as little to do with them as possible. Be careful Cayman. Learn the lessons, and learn them well.
Which country has the British ever handed over that was a success? They plundered and took and built up the mother country’s coffers and did not put back much into Jamaica’s education system and needed development. Colonialism is all about wealth. Look at the amount of artifacts being returned to Africa by the colonizers nowadays.
That’s a pretty ignorant comment 10:08, – let’s start at the ‘A’s
Australia
I let you see if you can do some others on your own
I’ll add Brunei and raise you a Canada.
Look how many African slaves African tribes caught and sold.
Canada and Australia seem to be doing fine
Ummm… Canada? Australia? New Zealand? Hong Kong? Singapore?
Tragic how they destroyed all of Jamaica’s Mountains, and forests, and beaches, and rivers, and roads, and bauxite, and hotels, and infrastructure…
Countries were a success then Britain for forced to give them up – Jamaica, Hong Kong etc. Say what you like but the Brits did know how to run things. Stay British Cayman!
It’s up to you to show us facts when you post such general statements and opinions. Waiting for your facts.
Well, there are many countries that are prime examples of a thriving economy only to be destroyed when handed back to the previous settlers. If you choose to ignore that fact then all you are doing is out of spite of what has been done for generations way past the British and you will never move on and prosper in your own right. Look what is happening in South Africa right now. They will soon be the same fate as Zimbabwe. Instead of thinking about moving forward for the better you just want to blame someone else for the corruption of those in power who squandered your chance at crime free prosperity.
Jamaica was not “colonized” the British, sadly, subdued the Caribs and Arawaks, the originally inhabitants, hundreds of years ago. However, also sadly, they imported slaves as elsewhere in the Caribbean. The African descended people are a credit to the World, but since they got the majority right to govern their countries themselves, things appear to be going downhill, particularly, Jamaica.
Know your history. The Spanish did that and then the Brits took the island from the Spanish.
The word Jamaica actually derives from the Arawak word Xaymaca, meaning “Land of wood and water”. Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot on the island when he claimed it for Spain on May 3rd, 1494, during his second voyage to the New World.
I hear there’s a boat leaving for Africa today loaded with artifacts, maybe you can hitch a ride.
Define success. No complaints from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India…
No complaints? There should be! The current U.S. president has the U.S. on the road to disaster!
Check your meds bro.
Definitely a road to disaster if that numbnuts stays at the wheel…..But I’m sure they will dump him before the next election.
When the deputy premier becomes premier you will see just how the tide will turn
WHAT? We got a deputy Premier?
I laugh.
Who is our deputy Premier?
remember in the 70s a Jamaican dollar was worth close to the same as a US dollar.
Yeah…now watch for their “most wanted” to go underground, like head to Cayman!
Hope ALL our border controls are tight and ready!
Ha ha more like nice and leaky, like a sieve. And once they’ve landed they find safe haven easily with their own. It’s almost as if their protected by half the RCIPS too.