With the growing crime rate in the parish of Westmoreland, especially in the town of Savanna la Mar, prime minister Andrew Holness went on a major walkthrough in some of the crime areas of the parish. He was accompanied by members of the Jamaica Constabulary and the Jamaica Defence Force(JDF).
With the imposition of the State Of Emergency(SOE) in seven police divisions which also includes Westmoreland, the prime minister met with some of the citizens who had mixed opinions about this new measure.
Some citizens welcome the SOE, saying it will be beneficial to their communities. However, several persons have complained that law-abiding citizens have been verbally abused by some members of the JDF and are appealing for a more respectful approach towards citizens.
When the prime minister went on Rickett Street, several young children of the community were angry and appealed to him to implement strategies that would bring stability to the community.
One lady who wished to remain unidentified said she was afraid to go to work.
“I am afraid to go to work because it is not who is involved in the war who are the victims, it’s the Innocent people of the community that are affected,” said the woman. She also described that the community was like a ghost town before the prime minister’s arrival.
