Central Kingston under curfew

A 48-hour curfew has been imposed in Kingston Central as of 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 30, as the police seek to stem the flow of violence within the division in recent weeks.

Since December 25, 2021 the Kingston Central Police Division has been experiencing an uptick in gang violence. This increase in gang violence has resulted in seven incidents of murder and one incident of shooting with intent at the police. The boundaries of the curfew are as follows:

North: Along North Street from the intersection with Hanover Street to the intersection with Text Lane;

East: Along Text Lane from the intersection with North Street to the intersection with East Queen Street;

South: Along East Queen Street from the intersection with Text Lane to the intersection with Hanover Street;

West: Along Hanover Street from the intersection with East Queen Street to the intersection with North Street.

The police are reminding the public that during the hours of the curfew, all persons with the boundaries of the curfew are required to remain within their premises unless otherwise authorised in writing by the ground commander. Since January, at least 75 murders and 77 shootings have been recorded in the division, which the police have linked to the ongoing feud between the Genasyde and Darkside gangs operating within the space.

Just this week, during a 24-hour period, three persons were killed including 10-year-old Jezariah Tyrell, who was shot and killed by unknown assailants at a tenement yard on Wildman Street. Her death renewed calls from residents in the crime-torn community of Spoilers for the area to be declared a zone of special operations.