SPECIAL NEWS: State of Emergency in Kingston, Jamaica

A limited State of Emergency will be implemented in Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica at 6pm today as the instability of the capital continues with criminals seeking to prevent the arrest of alleged crime lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.

The decision was made at an emergency cabinet meeting at earlier today.

The Cabinet met amidst growing unrest in the downtown Kingston region. Sections of west Kingston have been unstable since the government approved the extradition request for Coke who lives in Tivoli Gardens.

Sporadic gunfire has been heard throughout the community by men with high-powered weapons seen manning roadblocks. Men have also been seen roaming the streets with high-powered rifles and on roof tops.

A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, alert citizens to alter their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale for suspending civil liberties.

The last time a State of Emergency was imposed was during Hurricane Dean in 2007.

For live hourly updates from our team of reporters in west Kingston, listen to Power 106FM or log on to www.go-jamaica.com/power for live streaming

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