MONTEGO BAY, St James — Prime Minister Andrew Holness has warned criminals bent on committing murders and other crimes that they will not escape the long arm of the law.

Holness’ warning comes after what he describes as the resurfacing of criminality in St James since the state of public emergency (SOE), which started January 18, 2018, ended January 31 this year, following the Opposition’s refusal to support any further extension.

“I am observing very closely what is happening in the city and indeed right across the country, and I am seeing a return to the level of lawlessness that existed before the declaration of the state of public emergency. Let me make it absolutely clear to those criminals who believe that by virtue of the vote in Parliament they have political cover — take no such comfort. This Government will act even if the Opposition feels that it is their duty to offer comfort to those who will cause you discomfort. We will act!” Holness declared.

He was speaking Friday at the ground-breaking ceremony for the state-of-the-art $1.296-billion Closed Harbour Beach Park development at Closed Harbour, known popularly as Dump Up Beach, in Montego Bay, St James.

About the same time as the prime minister was speaking, a gunman reportedly invaded a restaurant at the intersection of Top Road and Middle Road in Norwood in the parish, shooting to death a woman and a man.

The two, identified as 49-year-old Assad Facey and 45-year-old Michelle Solomon, were both of Norwood.

Police reported that about 4:25 pm, Facey and Solomon, who operated an eatery, were at work when they were attacked by the gunman who opened fire, hitting them. Both were taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, who is also the Member of Parliament for St James North Western — which includes the community where the double murder took place — condemned the killings after visiting the scene.

He blamed the upsurge of violence in the communities of Norwood and the nearby Salt Spring on the resurgence of rivalry between factions. The security minister noted that gunmen who have been released in the aftermath of the SOE are at it again, even with the heavy presence of members of the security forces in some communities.

“Law enforcement intelligence links the gangland activities in Norwood and Salt Spring to men recently released from custody when the SOE in St James expired. Those who are released are now active again, even in the presence of the extremely heavy police and soldier formation on the ground.

“In fact, I didn’t have to ask the police, I drove through Norwood [Thursday] and there were three patrols within almost earshot of each other in the Norwood area moving around, along with a checkpoint. In fact, the most recent murder and shooting came about within about 200 yards of a checkpoint and in line of sight,” Dr Chang remarked.

He added: “Mischievous and irresponsible individuals who were charging the police with sweeping individuals off the streets without information were totally wrong, as we have indicated before. All detainees were based on intelligence. It takes time to accumulate evidence and the detentions were necessary to ensure control of the space until we can build out evidence to lock away those who should be locked away, and of course allow the citizens, the hard-working, innocent people, to stay alive and continue to work in peace,” Dr Chang argued.

Meanwhile, while addressing the ground-breaking ceremony in an obvious jab at the Opposition for refusing to lend further support to the SOE on the grounds of humans rights violations, the prime minister questioned: “What is more important?” and “How do you secure the rights of the citizen?”

“Can you secure the rights of the citizens in chaos? Can you secure the right of the individual’s freedom in chaos? Can you secure the individual’s freedom in a situation where there is no public order and there is no rule of law? What comes first? We in this city, a year ago, literally faced the collapse of public order and the rule of law in Montego Bay,” he argued.

“We see Montego Bay as a city that could be the pearl of the Caribbean and we are making the investments in your city — both in terms of the infrastructure, but more importantly in establishing the rule of law and public order. Both things go together; not everyone sees the importance of public order.”

The Closed Harbour Beach Park development project forms a part of the Urban Development Corporation’s Montego Bay Redevelopment Programme, which will see the conversion of the 16-acre property into a world-class recreational space with amenities that will allow it to operate as a free-access licensed public beach. The project is slated for completion within 18 months, with main funding provided by Tourism Enhancement Fund.