Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness Tuesday enacted a state of emergency to combat rising violence in two separate orders. The first order targets the densely-populated capital district parishes of Clarendon and St. Catherine and portions of Kingston and St. Andrews. The second order covers the parishes of St. James, Westmoreland and Hanover. The two areas house over half of Jamaica’s 2.97 million citizens.
The order, handed down by Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen, expands law enforcement’s authority to target suspected criminal activity. Police may now conduct searches of persons and property without warrants, detain persons up to seven days without a warrant and enforce curfews.
According to government data, violent crime is increasing in Jamaica. The island recorded 1,463 murders in 2021 and is on track to pass that number with 1,360 murders recorded so far in 2022. The Jamaican Constabulary Force (JCF) estimated 72 percent of all murders in 2021 were a result of gang activity. Jamaica has the highest murder-rate in the western hemisphere and one of the highest in the world. The state of emergency coincides with multiple government pushes to combat crime and expand economic development. The JCF’s launch of a Joint Anti-Gang Taskforce and Senate push to amend anti-gang legislation are both ongoing. Although tourism accounted for 22 percent of GDP in 2019, tourists are often advised to restrict travel outside resort grounds or away from secure areas with heavily police presence.
However, policing and previous states of emergency have come under scrutiny. In 2021, A US State Department human rights report found systematic human rights issues throughout the Jamaican law enforcement system. The report argues that “additional detention authorities” like those conferred by a state of emergency contribute to abuses and overcrowded detention centers. Police also stand accused of torture, arbitrary beatings and restricting access of juveniles to their families. Independent monitoring agencies like the Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) have stepped in to provide recommendations on improvements to the prison and judicial structure. The group claims that little to no action has been taken on submitted recommendations.
