ZOSOs to be extended by 60 days

The Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) in Mt Salem, St James; and Denham Town in Kingston are to be extended by another 60 days.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a motion requesting the extension, which was moved by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Holness noted that additional time is needed to facilitate social intervention activities that require long-term focus, as well as infrastructural investment.

Operations are slated to come to an end in Denham Town and Mt Salem on December 15 and 29, respectively. This would be the second extension granted for the Mt Salem zone, which was the first to become operational on September 1.

The zones were established under the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act, which was passed in Parliament earlier this year.

The law seeks to contain crime while safeguarding the human rights of residents and promoting community development through social-intervention initiatives.

The prime minister said both zones have "yielded unquestionable results", noting that there has been no report of murders in any of the zones, no report of serious crimes, and no report of abuse by any State actors in either zone.