Home The Big Stories Political commentator supports gov’t’s stance on limited states of emergency

Political commentator supports gov’t’s stance on limited states of emergency

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By Robert Emmanuel

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Political commentator Winston Henry believes that the government’s dismissal of a limited state of emergency to be introduced in the country is warranted.

Henry said that a state of emergency should remain as a last resort option for the government during circumstances where the police would be unable to deal with the situation normally.

“I don’t believe that the limited state of emergency in Antigua and Barbuda is warranted because we would have heard the Commissioner himself indicated that his colleagues across the region would have been praising the [Antigua and Barbuda] police force for their handle on crime.

“Then you hear the Police Commissioner come out and say ‘well, I need legislation to implement this state of emergency’,” he explained, stating that the Antiguans and Barbudans would have a difficult time accepting such a proposal.

Henry’s comments came after Commissioner of Police (CoP) Atlee Rodney proposed the idea of amending the laws of Antigua and Barbuda to permit the declaration of limited states of emergency in specific circumstances.

According to the CoP, the proposal would assist the police force to respond effectively to volatile situations by isolating zones where the disturbances had arisen.

However, last week, the Cabinet outrightly rejected that idea, noting that Antigua and Barbuda was, among others reasons, too small for its viability, as confirmed by the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, Lionel Hurst.

Currently, crime and violence in Antigua and Barbuda remain relatively low when compared to regional counterparts like Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and St Lucia.

However, there has been a recent spike in the number of violent incidents during the last month, with the country recording four homicides during the last three weeks.

The number of homicides for the year to date stands at six.

Meanwhile, Henry said there were other ways the police force could mitigate against the rise in criminal activity.

“I would implore the Police Commission to encourage the government … to put cameras on every street, in every community and have a command centre to monitor these cameras,” he said.

He also called for the police to be more active and consistent in conducting stop and search exercises.

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