Craig Francis | States of emergency have become toxic and ineffective

Antibiotics, even used for short periods of time, let alone for lifelong therapy, raise the issues of both toxicity and the emergence of bacterial ­antibiotic resistance, meaning that the bacteria do not respond to the antibiotic treatment.

If I take a particular medicine for my allergies, I can’t take them too often if my sinuses act up, as after a short while they (that particular medicine) becomes ineffective. In that case, I am recommended something else by my doctor.

Like the antibiotics and my sinus medication, the states of emergency (SOEs) being employed by the Government and the security forces have become toxic and ineffective.

They have become toxic to business people in the areas where they have been going on for a prolonged time; and they have become ineffective as the criminals now know the location of the security posts. Now, they operate within the areas that are under SOE, even metres from where police checkpoints are set up.

A SOE has been in effect in the entire parish of St Catherine, and this also includes the municipality of Portmore.

Portmore has the largest population of university and college graduates living there, with a population of over 300,000. A population that works mainly in Kingston and St Andrew and goes to school mostly outside of Portmore is being asked to leave Kingston, travel in the traffic home, then get anything that needs to be done by 8 p.m..

This is a very steep ask, especially seeing that Portmore is more of a nocturnal city. Most doctors’ offices, et al, in Portmore have doctors that come in to start working in the afternoon and open up until late at night, even up to midnight, to accommodate persons getting home from work who want to use their services.

WHAT IS THE REASON?

This SOE is also greatly affecting the livelihood of many business people and entrepreneurs, who are facing a big financial fallout owing to the SOE.

I haven’t seen an increase of police in the municipality and with the only police post being erected in Waterford, what is the reason for a parishwide SOE and also in the entire municipality of Portmore? Has there been a parish-wide SOE called in all of Kingston and St Andrew?

The use of the state of emergency has lost its usefulness and, like antibiotics taken too long, has become toxic and ineffective. It’s time the Government come up with a viable crime plan.

Well, right now any crime plan will do, as the SOEs cannot and must not continue. We are now realising that the SOE isn’t working, as we have surpassed the amount of murders we had in 2018 in 2019, and the rate so far for 2020 is not indicating that this year will be any better.

It’s now time for an actual crime plan and not this ineffective SOE.

Craig Francis is a commissioned land surveyor and managing director of Precision Surveying Services Ltd. Email feedback to craig_r_francis@yahoo.com and columns@gleanerjm.com.