CNN —A widespread state of emergency has been declared across Jamaica to fight violent crime, the island nation’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a public address Wednesday.
We have some really serious criminal threats facing us and we have to use all the powers at our disposal,” Holness said.
The State of Emergency (SOE) will be enforced in nine of Jamaica’s 14 parishes, including Clarendon, Saint Catherine, Westmoreland, Hanover and parts of Kingston, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann and Saint James, which encompasses the popular tourist destination Montego Bay.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness arrives for the opening session of the 9th Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California, June 9, 2022.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty ImagesThe state of emergency allows authorities to arrest people and search buildings without a warrant.