Spanish Town business community worried about impact of SOE

   

The business community in Spanish Town is worried that the State of Emergency (SOE) imposed Tuesday morning in the St. Catherine North Police Division will lead to a significant downturn in commercial activity.

 

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said the police division, especially Spanish Town and surrounding areas, remains volatile following last week's unrest over the fatal shooting of Othniel Lobban, the reputed leader of the One Order gang.

 

As a result, the security forces have requested immediate intervention to address the escalating threat to public safety and prevent further destabilisation.

 

In an interview with Radio Jamaica News, Dennis Robotham, President of the St. Catherine Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said as was expected, commercial activity has been lagging in the market district since the unrest and subsequent curfew in two communities in Spanish Town.

 

Mr. Robotham said the State of Emergency, while understandable based on the security concern, will cause serious inconvenience for businesses. 

 

"There's going to be negative impact on the bottom line of business because this is going to compound already what is happening in terms of people coming into this space - commuters, potential buyers, consumers, that sort of thing. People are going to now be afraid to come in, or skeptical to come in because of now an SOE because we have checkpoints, that sort of thing. The inconvenience for coming in is going to definitely impact business in a significant way," he lamented.