St Ann is one of three police divisions where States of Emergency (SOEs) have been declared.
A release from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said SOEs have been declared for the entire parishes St Ann and Clarendon, as well as the Kingston Western Police Division, “following a surge in criminal activities in these areas.”
The parish and six other police divisions were placed under an SOE late last year, as murders surged in a record year.
For the St Ann police division, this time Police Commissioner General Anthony Anderson 
reported that although the division had 50% fewer murders in January 2023 than in January 2022, this was reversed with a 22% increase in murders as at Saturday, February 11, 2023.
He said the year-to-date figures moved from 9 to 11 murders, as of Saturday, Feb 11. According to the release: “When gun murders are tallied separately, 3 murders were recorded in January 2023 and 6 murders were recorded within the first two weeks of February; a 100% increase in gun murders in half the time. This shows that the St Ann division is of concern.”
These States of Emergency are for an initial period of 14 days beginning at 12:01 a.m. on February 15, 2023.
Prime Minister Holness said, “Organized gangs are the main source and cause of violence, leading to fear and terror in some communities. The Government must protect innocent citizens from these criminal gangs and therefore must act”.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Honourable Dr Horace Chang, stressed that extreme criminality, as recorded in the specified areas, requires equally strong and decisive enforcement measures to protect law-abiding citizens.
C Hall
