Jamaica is fighting 'super gangs' says PM

Gangs, which are responsible for 80 per cent of murders in Jamaica, are evolving, says Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Speaking during an emergency press conference to announce states of public emergency in the Central and West Kingston divisions this morning, the prime minister underscored that gangs are no longer community-based, but forming networks to strengthen their organisations and target state projects.   

"They are going across formerly and geographically defined political areas," said Holness.

"Their collaboration and alliances lend themselves to the formation of, what I call, 'super gangs'. They create the platform for the insemination of more nefarious kinds of activities, including cyber activities, and other kinds of criminal activities that would be considered foreign to the Jamaican context," he explained.  

Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang said two thirds of all gangs in Jamaica are rooted in the Kingston Central, Kingston East and Kingston West divisions, which are responsible for most of the murders in the Corporate Area. The Kingston Metropolitan Region, which includes, parts of St Catherine, accounts for some 55 per cent of the country's murders; and Kingston and St Andrew alone, are responsible for 42 per cent, according to the police commissioner.  

There are some 134 gangs operating from Bull Bay in the east, to Ferry, on the St Andrew/ St Catherine border, in the west, Chang outlined; or two thirds of the 389 active gangs in Jamaica. And, he says, the level of cooperation among them has been increasing. 

"They struggle over spoils, extortion or imported weapons and other criminal activity that feed the economy of the gangs. It generates increasing homicides and certainly for this year we have seen the number of murders in the KMR region stand at more than 55 per cent of the total for the island," Chang said. 

The police commissioner, Anderson, said there has been a spike in violent activities in the Kingston West and Kingston Central divisions, as gangs network and fortify to benefit from activities, such as extortion. 

"Within the last quarter we have seen a spike as gang members and gang organisations seek to benefit from extortion in the market district and have created alliances that extend from St Andrew South all the way across to Kingston East," he said. 

South Coast Highway project  being targeted

Holness said the issue of extortion is particularly "worrisome," as the situation takes place in a context where businesses are struggling due to the recession. He revealed that the St Thomas leg of the South Coast Highway was also being targeted by criminals.  

"And we are also very particularly concerned that a national road project has started and we are seeing signs of gangs, including politically connected persons, operating in such a way as to seek to extort and to disrupt or to prevent work from taking place," he said. 

"I want to make it clear that this is a national project and we will not allow thugs to disrupt our national project," the prime minister insisted. 

He said the evolving nature of gangs requires a coordinated approach from the state to retard them. He said the states of public emergency will allow the security forces to move across the divisions along with the gangs. 

"As they move from one community to the next, to the next, we can move along with them within this zone," he said. 

Chang, noting that the response to criminal activities in the division required extraordinary measures, was optimistic that the security forces will be able to weaken and destroy gangs in the divisions. 

"We want to assure the public that the security forces will expand and increase their activities; the government will seek and ensure that they are provided with the requisite legislative, fiscal and other facilities to improve their efficiency and ensure they can deal with the level of gang activity in Jamaica," he said. 

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us @onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.