Prime Minister hails success of Parade Gardens ZOSO
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Prime Minister, Dr Andrew Holness, says the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) in Parade Gardens, Kingston, has been effective in reducing crime and violence, particularly murders and shootings, in the community.
He noted that four years ago, the idea of freely and safely traversing the community would have appeared remote.
“This was once an area captured by gangs. Indeed, the murder rate in the area was high… [and] now we are seeing the dividends of peace. The error would be to believe that we could have brought peace to the community by just fixing up a school, or putting in a football field without addressing the fundamental security issues,” Holness said during a recent tour of the area.
He noted that the fundamental security issue stemmed from young men armed with illegal guns who were organised to carry out acts of violence.
“The Zone of Special Operations dealt with that fundamental security issue. We removed them from the space, we made the space inhospitable to them, and we entrenched security in the area. Having done that… having cleared the space, then we have to figure out how to hold the space… and the security forces play an integral part in holding the space, patrols, community interactions, and getting the people together,” Holness stated.
The Prime Minister said the focus has now shifted to rebuilding the community, pointing out “that’s what you’re seeing.”
“Because we have cleared the space of the criminals, and because we have held the space, investments in the area now make sense. So you’re seeing an NGO (non-governmental organisation), the US Government, and other donors coming to put investment in the space,” he stated.
“Hopefully, we’ll see more private investment, and when I say private investment, sometimes people are thinking of big business. No. Your auntie from overseas might say, ‘well, the place looks like it’s somewhere I can go and build’; and so, the old house that was there… the auntie from overseas might go and invest and put up a better structure there,” he said.
“That is the dividend that you get from peace. Before we were doing it in the reverse… before we were doing the build phase, we did the clear phase. Under the Zones of Special Operation, what we do is we clear the area. We don’t fool ourselves about what the security threat is. We deal with the security threat in an instrumental way, and we are seeing the results across Jamaica, not just in Parade Gardens, but in every community,” Holness added.
A Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) was declared in Parade Gardens in January 2022 as part of efforts to curb crime and violence and restore public order in the community.
Under the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act, an area may be declared a ZOSO where there is rampant criminality, gang-related conflict, escalating violence and murders, and a significant threat to public order and the rule of law.
The legislation provides for measures to contain crime while safeguarding the human rights of residents.
It also promotes community development through social intervention initiatives implemented in communities where ZOSOs are in effect.
- JIS News
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