Prime Minister Andrew Holness says a Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) has been declared for Parade Gardens in the Central Kingston Police Division, to tackle the runaway murder rate.

Holness, in a virtual address to the nation on Sunday (January 9), explained that the measure comes amid renewed attempts to bring a semblance of order to the division which has seen the highest increase in murders nationally.

“The Prime Minister in council, having more than reasonable cause to believe that due to rampant criminality, gang warfare, escalating violence and murders, and the threat to the rule of law and public order, it is necessary to declare the area geographically defined as a zone,” Holness said.

The Parade Gardens ZOSO will last for an initial period of 60 days, with both the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) already mobilised in the area.

Parade Gardens joins Mount Salem and Norwood in St James, as well as Denham Town, Greenwich Town and August Town in St Andrew as the sixth community under ZOSOs.

Central Kingston was also one of seven police divisions declared under States of Public Emergency (SOEs) last November before the measure expired and was blocked from further extension by the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP).

Holness assured that with the ZOSO perimeter now set around Parade Gardens, the Government is giving its commitment to the citizens

“I want the country to bear in mind this is a long-term strategy. Yes, when we do intervene in the communities, you see an immediate reduction in violence. The gangs disperse, the criminals leave the area, but it is more than a displacement strategy—it is [aimed] to harden the area against the return and reinstitutionalisation of criminality in the community,” the prime minister disclosed.

“The Zones of Special Operation, therefore, are designed as a community-building tool. They have, working in parallel with them, a special social committee, which brings together all the agencies of Government that have anything to do with social intervention,” he added.

For his part, Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson said 79 murders were recorded in Central Kingston for 2021, up from 51 killings in 2020 and signalling a 54.9 per cent spike.

Nonetheless, he assured that the joint JCF-JDF presence in Parade Gardens will “give the community a respite from violence and the space to heal and build with the support of other partners”.

“At the same time, we will continue our relentless pursuit of those who will seek to intimidate even while we are there in the space,” Anderson added.