The People’s National Party (PNP) has thrown its support behind the public state of emergency effort declared by the government earlier this for the parish of St James.
According to a press release by the PNP, they fully support the crime-fighting efforts of the government and offer their qualified support to tackle the monstrous crime problem plaguing the parish of St James.
In the press release, the PNP claims that St James had reached a state of near anarchy with as crime rates and lawlessness spiralling out of control following the failure of the Zone of Special Operation.
“The people of Jamaica, including the Opposition, have been calling for a response from Government throughout the past year. Some 1617 Jamaicans were murdered in 2017 and already more than 63 persons have been killed since the start of this year”, said party president Dr Peter Phillips.
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The PNP, however, did point out that measures should be put in place to ensure that the rights of law-abiding citizens are maintained throughout the declared state of emergency in the parish.
“Every effort must be made by the security forces to be vigilant, courageous, and determined in confronting the criminal threat, even as they are protective of the rights and interests of the law-abiding citizens of the parish,” the PNP said.
