As members of the Senate debated the resolution to extend the State of Emergency in the St. Andrew South police division for another 90 days, there was a call for more cohesion in fighting crime.

Speaking in the Senate today, government senator Pearnel Charles Jnr. encouraged members of the opposition not to view the crime problem as a one sided problem.

He said the government is open to suggestions from the opposition.

Mr. Charles said many of the solutions that have been put forward by the opposition have been integrated into several plans that have been outlined by the government.

He cited the heavy gunfire in sections of Mountain View between last night and this morning, noting that crime is a national issue, affecting citizens all across the island, and that it needs consensus to solve it.

The senator’s call for cohesion was not met kindly by opposition senator Sophia Fraser Binns, who suggested that there is no show of good faith on the part of the government to build consensus in crime fighting, as she said meetings promised on the matter never materialized.

Senator Charles accused the senator of misleading the country, as he said the government has always welcomed and embraced input from the opposition.

All 15 members of the senate who were present at the time of the vote, voted to approve the extension of the St. Andrew South SOE for another 90 days.

Meantime, leader of government business in the senate, Kamina Johnson Smith, stressed that efforts are indeed being made to achieve consensus in fighting Jamaica’s crime problem.

She noted that the Prime Minister met with the Opposition Leader and other stakeholders on the matter last night.