Sturge: Residents can get 'closed area' permits via WhatsApp

RESIDENTS in communities designated as 'closed areas' could apply for police-issued permits to leave their homes and communities through WhatsApp and other electronic means, Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge said yesterday.

Sturge was defending the Special Operations Bill, which proposes restrictions and controls on movement and other law enforcement measures within designated 'closed areas'.

The bill, passed in the House of Representatives overnight on Friday, provides for the declaration of closed areas within districts where the presence of 'violent crime, gang activity or illegal weapons' threatens public safety and where law enforcement cannot maintain or restore public peace. It also provides for the imposition of cordons and curfews within these areas, and equips law enforcement with enhanced powers of search, seizure, arrest and detention.