Gov't won't allow gangs to derail Spanish Town's development - Holness
Published:Friday | January 24, 2025 | 4:31 PM
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says the Government will not allow its development plans for Spanish Town to be derailed by gangsters operating in the St Catherine capital.
Speaking at a handing over ceremony for a house in Westmoreland on Friday, Holness informed that the National Security Council received a briefing on Thursday regarding the flare-up of violence in Spanish Town and he is satisfied that "the police have made the necessary allocation of manpower and other resources to bring the situation in Spanish Town under control and to return calm to the town".
However, he said the gangs continue to pose a real threat to public order, services and commerce in Spanish Town. He outlined that the gangs have for several decades "captured almost all elements of life in Spanish Town".
He said the Government is paying close attention to the situation from a developmental perspective. He noted that his administration is poised to invest billions of dollars in the Old Capital, including planned upgrades to the hospital and police divisional headquarters.
"We will not allow our development plans to be derailed or hijacked by gangsters," Holness stated.
He appealed to law-abiding residents of Spanish Town not to support the gangs or be enlisted in their activities.
"Spanish Town has incredible opportunities. Spanish Town has an incredible history. It has great commerce and great potential for development. But it is all being suppressed by gangs and crime. Let us use this as an opportunity to once and for all rid the community of the gangs," Holness urged.
Spanish Town has been tense since reputed One Order gang leader Othniel Lobban died on Wednesday night as a police chase and gun battle ended in a crash in the vicinity of the overpass in Six Miles, St Andrew.
Before daylight, incendiaries had set fire to a Courts Bargain Centre store along Young Street in Spanish Town, an act believed to be linked to Lobban’s death.
His demise sparked widespread disruptions across the St Catherine capital as early as daybreak, with several businesses and schools suspending operations on Thursday. Others operated for only half of the day, and many residents stayed indoors. Many of those who ventured out were later seen rushing to return home after news of Lobban’s death spread.
A curfew in the Ellerslie Pen and Tawes Meadows communities – areas frequently visited by Lobban – is set to last until 6 p.m. on Friday as the authorities remain on high alert.
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