Mark Titus, Freelance Writer

Mayor of Montego Bay, Noel Donaldson.

WESTERN BUREAU:

Chairman of the St. James Parish Development Committee, Mark Kerr-Jarrett, has called for the establishment of a municipal court in the parish to assist the police in dealing with civil disorder, while at the same time raising funds for the cash-strapped St. James Parish Council.

"We have been talking for a long time about putting in a municipal court, which would handle the prosecution of all of the municipal and city ordinances, and that revenue would come right back to the parish council and help to empower it," Kerr-Jarrett said. He was speaking Wednesday at a Gleaner Editors' Forum to discuss the role of local authorities in the development process.

Reduce backlog of cases

"The court would be dealing with squatting, vending, littering, parking and other disorders that contribute to the lawlessness that we are experiencing at this time," he added. According to the businessman, the introduction of municipal courts islandwide could also help to reduce the huge backlog of cases - some as old as two years - in the Resident Magistrate's courts.

Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Noel Donaldson, said that while he could not speak on the Jamaica Labour Party's position on the issue, party leader Bruce Golding has argued for the strengthening of local government.