The Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) says Jamaicans should not be too quick to judge the effectiveness of the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO).

This comes in the wake of comments by some residents of Mt. Salem in St. James, where the first Zoso was declared, that the initiative is not effective.

Others including the opposition have said the Zoso alone cannot curb murders and there have been questions about   whether the declared Zones of Special Operations were correctly determined.

A second Zoso has been declared in Denham Town, Kingston, but already there has been criticism that it should have been imposed in Tivoli Gardens.

Chief Executive Officer of the PSOJ Dennis Chung says the effect of the Zoso on crime must be viewed as a long term solution.

Mr. Chung says the Zoso alone will not solve crime.

He says it has to be paired with other initiatives such as community intervention programmes, which extend beyond the 60 day Zoso.

Meantime, the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce says there are still some concerns about the effectiveness of the Zone of Special Operation (ZOSO) implemented in Mt. Salem, St. James.

Chamber President T’Shura Gibbs says crime and violence continues in the general Montego Bay area, regardless of the Zoso in Mt. Salem.

She says while Mt. Salem residents have reported feeling safer because of the Zoso, that is no guarantee for the business environment in Montego Bay.

Ms. Gibbs says one positive impact of the Zoso is the social intervention/ improvement of infrastructure.

She says however that the Zoso’s social intervention programmes need to be extended beyond Mt. Salem.