Junior PNP spokesman wants more protection for children after schoolboys killed

Junior Opposition Spokesperson on National Security Jouvaughnie Byfield says "more must be done" to protect children following Monday's fatal shooting of three persons, including two primary schoolboys, in the Flower Hill community of St James.

Justin Perry, seven, and his nine-year-old schoolmate Nacholive Smith, of Chetwood Memorial Primary, and a man who remains unidentified, were shot and killed by gunmen while travelling in a taxi at around 6 p.m. near Meggie Top in the Flower Hill area.

Condemning the incident, Byfield said there is a need protect children and secure the nation's future. "More must be done to safeguard our children from such acts of violence. Our students should not have to fear for their lives while pursuing an education."

In a statement Tuesday morning, Byfield expressed confidence in the capacity of the security forces to address the situation effectively but stressed the importance of allocating additional resources to high-crime divisions like St James.

"These divisions require more boots on the ground to confront the escalating crime problem that Western parishes face. We cannot allow our communities to be held hostage by criminal elements," said the representative of the Opposition People's National Party.

Byfield also appealed to citizens to assist the police in their investigations.

In a statement earlier, Prime Minister Andrew Holness condemned the killings, saying when children are attacked, all of society "must stand up and say, 'enough is enough'". 

Holness lamented that the response to "criminal terrorists ...must also contend with a narrative that oftentimes seems to offer greater protection to criminals with lighter sentences and preservation of their lives and freedoms, rather than supporting stronger punitive, proactive, and pre-emptive measures against these terrorists while securing redress and restoration for the victims". 

The administration has faced backlash from rights groups and the Opposition People's National Party over its use of rights-limiting states of public emergency in routine crime fighting, the pursuit of certain measures in relation to the constitutionally-guaranteed bail and the imposition of mandatory sentences for certain crimes.  

Holness said his administration will continue to invest in the security forces and pursue tougher laws to deal with the problem.

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