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The Office of the Children's Advocate (OCA) has recommended that a National Authority for Child and Family Services be established to strengthen the country's child protection framework. This is outlined in the OCA's annual report for 2006/07, which was tabled on Tuesday (June 12) in the House of Representatives. According to the report, the National Authority for Child and Family...

The Jamaican Justice System Reform Task Force has recommended that the capacity of the Justice Training Institute (JTI) should be enhanced to provide increased training to personnel in the justice system. This is contained in the final report of the Task Force, which was presented to Justice Minister, Senator A.J. Nicholson recently, after nine months of research and public consultation...

Minister of Education and Youth, Maxine Henry Wilson, has applauded the work of the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD), for successfully implementing a strategy to provide both technical and tangible financial assistance to youth clubs and uniformed groups. In her contribution to the 2007/08 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 12, Mrs. Henry Wilson pointed out...

A team headed by former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ian Forte, is to carry out a review of the circumstances surrounding the investigation into the death of former Pakistan cricket coach, Robert 'Bob' Woolmer. Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, who made the announcement during his contribution to the 2007/08 Sectoral debate in the House of...

The HEART Trust/NTA has trained 295,000 persons as of March 2006 and with an annual enrolment approaching 100,000, the agency will attain its target of certifying 600,000 members of the workforce by the end of 2008. This was disclosed by Minister of Education and Youth, Maxine Henry Wilson, during her contribution to the 2007/08 Sectoral Debate in the House of...

Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, has reported marked improvement in secondary schools where the Safe Schools Programme (SSP) has been introduced. "There is improvement in the relationship between the school and community and an increase in awareness of the roles and responsibilities of parents, teachers and students in relation to education, and in improving the schools' safety," the...

The Immigration Citizenship and Passport Services Division of the Ministry of National Security was transformed into an Executive Agency on June 1, to be known as the Passport Citizenship Agency. "This agency will continue to deliver the range of services provided to the public at home and abroad, and in time we expect to see improvements in the timeliness and...

Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, has said that the number of criminal offenders being deported to Jamaica is a cause for concern, and the international community should do more to address the problem. "If we accept that crime and criminality in today's globalised world requires an international solution, then obviously more must be done by the international community...

A National Independent Investigative Authority (NIIA) will be established to strengthen the investigative capacities of the state against corruption, and trans-national organised crime. Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips made the announcement in his contribution to the 2007/08 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday (June 13). "The authority will undertake investigations on its own initiative, on receipt...

The Ministry of National Security has stepped up its effort to reduce stress levels and attend to the physical and psychological well being of police men and women. In this regard, a 24-hour counselling help line for police officers was established on Monday, June 11. This was noted by Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, during his contribution to...

President of Northern Caribbean University, Dr. Herbert Thompson, will chair a panel of local and international experts, which will carry out a strategic review of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), to among other things, assess the effectiveness and relevance of the organization's policing strategies. Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, who made the announcement during his contribution to the...

Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips has announced that a special unit has been created under Operation Kingfish to tackle the illegal firearms trade. Making his contribution to the 2007/08 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, yesterday (June 13), Dr. Phillips said this special focus on firearms was necessary, given the extent to which illegal weapons have featured...