The Senate today approved the extension for the state of public emergency in St. Andrew, until October 5.

Westmoreland, St. James, and Hanover are currently under a state of emergency.

Government Senator Kamina Johnson Smith in closing the debate, stated that the police are reaping successes as a result of the state of emergency.

She says the capacity of both the JCF and JDF is being upgraded.

14 senators voted in favour of the extension with five abstentions.

And, it was a spirited debate in the senate today, as senators contributed to the debate on the extension of the state of public emergency in St. Andrew southern.

St. James, Westmoreland and Hanover are currently under a state of public emergency along with a section of the corporate area.

Government Senator Ransford Braham says the state of emergency is an important tool, but not the sole means of curbing crime.

Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Donna Scott Mottley questioned whether the government is incapable of finding a balance between protecting the lives of citizens and curbing crime.

She called for more to be done to increase resources and investigative capacity.