Holness to tighten eviction rules

TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says he will move to tighten rules governing security-force involvement in evictions after displaced Cooper’s Pen residents complained about the conduct of police and soldiers during the early-morning demolition of their homes on privately owned land.

Holness said he will take the matter to the National Security Council to establish clear rules for how security forces should operate when supporting evictions.

“What is clear is that the operation, as it was executed, needs policy guidance,” Holness told residents during a tour of the community on Friday.

“That is where I come in as your prime minister, to make sure that subsequent operations are done according to the law, and with respect for your dignity and your rights,” he added.

Holness was responding to complaints from residents that members of the security forces had detained men from the community before the August 11, 2026 demolition which was carried out on a court order.

The action sparked questions about whether the Government knew the operation was going to take place.

On Friday, Holness reiterated that he had no prior knowledge of the demolition as he was neither informed nor consulted about when it would be carried out.

“Nobody wrote to me or advised me of it,” he said.

He also rejected suggestions that the operation was directed by his Administration, stressing that there is a separation between the Government and the police when it comes to police operations.

“No prime minister or minister of national security can direct police operations, and I want that to be clear,” Holness said.

He explained that while the Government is responsible for setting policy, it does not interfere with operational decisions by the police.

Holness said the police have a duty to maintain peace and may act preventively where there is a risk of loss of life or destruction of property.

“So yes, the police are in the right to support the eviction, to give support to the eviction process,” he said.

But the prime minister suggested that the authority of the security forces to support an eviction must be distinguished from the manner in which the operation is carried out.

It is that aspect of the process, he said, that will form part of the policy discussion with the security forces at the National Security Council.

Holness also accused some critics of using the Cooper’s Pen controversy for political gain, saying he is often blamed when problems arise.

“I represent the source of solutions, and equally, if solutions don’t come, and you need somebody to blame, it’s ultimately me,” he said.

“But I think it is being used in a political way to gain political advantage, and when it reaches that, then I have to stand up and say ‘No, it is not true’,” he added.