Will SOE Take Effect Again?

According to the Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries, Kareem Musa, the option of reintroducing a State of Emergency (SOE) remains “on the table.”

Musa added, “I think we came fairly close with the commissioner, to declaring a state of emergency, but it was never done.”

Last year, the government implemented an SOE to address increased gang violence but lifted it after several months. Now, with tensions rising again, Musa told reporters, “I can say here, now that it still is on the table, we were monitoring it.”

“I know at the time of the election we were specifically looking at six different gangs,” he added.

“We are in discussions not just with the commissioner and the police department but also with the leadership intervention unit to get their feedback because it is that we would want to have a targeted SOE as opposed to a blanket net pass over everybody,” Musa said.