And in other news, the month-long state of emergency in the St Martin's area ended today and the 30 men who were rounded up were finally set free.
Now, we've heard from the targets of these SOE's before - they've said more than once that when they're released, they're sometimes angrier than when they went in. And we've heard from experts who say it's only a band aid solution.
And while the Minister tries not to resort to it, things in the Martin's area have been quiet for the past month after a spate of violence which triggered the SOE. And yesterday, the Commissioner said he felt that the drastic measure did its job.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"It goes to show that contrary to the reporting of Channel 7 and Mr. Michael Peyrefitte that the S.O.E. did work. Yes, we're coming to the end of it and the LIU, the human development, community rehab and a number of other organizations have been in dialogue working with these young men while in prison, all in an effort to try to see how they can resolve the ongoing tension between them. There is not intent at this time to extend the S.O.E. We believe that they have come to some resolution and we anticipate that with their release, things will continue as is. Certainly, if we see that they want to rear their ugly heads again, then we'll do what needs to be done to protect the greater good of society and the law-abiding among us."
