The Violence Interruption Programme (VIP) of the recently ended Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) is estimated to have saved the country’s health system $70 million, due to its prevention of violent crimes. According to Programme Manager, CSJP, Orville Simmonds, the initiative, which was a partnership with the Peace Management Initiative (PMI), was one of the CSJP’s hallmark achievements. “We...

The successful case management approach, piloted locally through the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) III, is being shifted to the Ministry of National Security’s Crime Prevention and Community Safety Unit. Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on Thursday (July 2), Acting Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Shauna Trowers, said that 18 case officers that worked under CSJP III...

A Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) has been declared for the community of August Town, St. Andrew. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, made the announcement at a virtual press conference from Jamaica House on Wednesday (July 8). “The community of August Town has been assessed as a significant contributor to the level of crime in the St. Andrew...

As Prime Minister acting in accordance with the advice of the National Security Council, and having received the written agreement of the Commissioner of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff, I have declared a Zone of Special Operations under the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act, 2017. The Law Reform (Zones of...

Programme Manager, Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP), Orville Simmonds, is hailing the parenting education component as one of the major achievements of the project, which ended recently. The parent-focused segment started in Phase II of the programme and was further developed in Phase III. The initiative was delivered through a combination of group workshop settings and in-home sessions where...

Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the Government is committed to taking steps to reduce attacks on the nation’s security forces. Over the past few weeks, police and military personnel came under attack from criminal elements in separate incidents in the country. Speaking to the media following a tour of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) training facility...

Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the Government is looking to fully acquire the Tranquility Bay property in St. Elizabeth and transform it into an operational training campus for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). “We are currently leasing (but) we are looking to acquire it so that we can put in the full operation down here,”...