Opposition Senator, Lambert Brown, has suggested the establishment of a Standing Parliamentary Committee dedicated to crime reduction. Mr. Brown made the suggestion while addressing the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate today (February 3).  “This will focus the country’s attention on solution to our crime problem; hopefully show that the anti-crime fighting efforts are bipartisan and direct the...

Two fire boats will soon be added to the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s (JFB) fleet, as the Government moves to boost the agency’s services. Cabinet has approved a US$1.3 million contract to Brunswick Commercial and Government Products Inc. for the procurement of the boats. This was noted by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, at the...

State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says the Government remains committed to creating a safe environment for small business operators. Speaking at a Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ) Biz Social, held on January 31 at the offices of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) in Kingston, Mr. Charles said the Government...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Dianne McIntosh, says geospatial technology is a critical tool in gathering data to plan, develop and make decisions for crime fighting. “By incorporating traditional law enforcement data with data such as demographics, infrastructure, and offender tracking, we can use geographical information systems (GIS) to transform information into actionable intelligence,” she said. The...

State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. is calling on parents and schools across the island to support the expansion of the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF). He made the call during a recent meeting with the heads of departments at the Ministry of National Security. Minister Charles contends that the expanded JCCF...

The Ministry of National Security has partnered with telecommunications companies Digicel and Flow to make the Stay Alert application (app) automatically available on smartphones. The app, which is a crime-fighting mechanism, has a panic mode which, when activated, sends an alert to the police that the user is in an emergency situation. It also facilitates reporting of incidents. Stay Alert,...

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will be making targeted house-to-house contacts during the month of February as part of measures to address domestic violence. The initiative involves partnership with the church. Head of the JCF’s Community Safety and Security Branch, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Bishop Dr. Gary Welsh, said the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the New Testament Church...

Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Rocky Meade, says the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) will play its part in support of the Prime Minister’s Learn, Earn, Give and Save (LEGS) Programme for unattached youth. Slated to begin early this year, the Programme, which is in collaboration with the JDF, will be a formal way for the State to have those...

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has launched a Caribbean Journal of Strategic and Security Studies, which broadly examines threats to national and regional security. The volume one journal, which is produced in collaboration with the United States Naval College, covers topics related to local and international terrorism, arms proliferation and the level and number of homicides in Jamaica and the...