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Security forces in Mount Salem St James, carry out a routine search at a security check point.

Senior Citizens in Mount Salem Welcome Security Operations

With more than 10 days since the establishment of the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) in Mount Salem St. James, senior residents are expressing their appreciation for the security exercise. “I am really hoping that the peace we are now...

Deputy Chairman, Zones of Special Operations Social Intervention Committee and Managing Director, Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Omar Sweeney.

Zones will be Carefully Assessed to Determine Intervention Needs – Sweeny

Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague (right), highlights a point to executives of the newly formed Security Programme Oversight Committee (SECURIPOC), Co-Chair and Chairman, Doreen Frankson, and Peter Moses, respectively. Occasion was the launch of SECURIPOC during a ceremony at the Oxford Road offices of the Ministry of National Security on September 14. The Committee, which comprises a wide cross section of stakeholders in the public and private sectors, academia and civil society, is tasked with monitoring the compliance and progress of the departments and agencies of the Ministry of National Security in relation to implementation of their key performance indicators and make recommendations as necessary to the Minister.

Security Programme Oversight Committee Launched

Attorney General and Member of Parliament for West Central St. James, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte (right), speaks with representatives of State agencies who participated in a special services fair at the Mount Salem Primary School on Sunday, September 10. The fair formed part of the Government's social-intervention programme for residents of Mount Salem and its environs where a zone of special operations (ZOSO) is in effect.

Services Provided at Mount Salem Fair Carefully Selected – Malahoo Forte

State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. (left), listens keenly to Member of Parliament for Central St. James, Heroy Clarke, during the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) community services fair held at the Mount Salem Primary School in Montego Bay, St. James. The two-day fair was held on September 9 and 10 and was attended by hundreds of residents of the community.

Security State Minister Pleased with Support for ZOSO Fair in Mount Salem

Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Coleridge Minto (2nd left), in discussion with (from left): Region Four Director, Dr. Michelle Pinnock; Deputy Chairman of the Social Intervention Committee of the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO), Omar Sweeney and Lieutenant Stephen English of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). Occasion was the ZOSO community services fair, held at the Mount Salem Primary school in St. James on Saturday, September 9.

9 years ago EducationNational Security and Peace

Help for Unattached or At-Risk Youth in Mount Salem

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is working with a number of state agencies to ensure that unattached or at-risk youth in the Mount Salem community of St. James are reintegrated into the education or skills training system in short order. Director of School Safety and Security in the Ministry, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Coleridge Minto, says a...

National Security State Minister, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. (centre), and President, Junior Achievement Jamaica, Alphie Mullings-Aiken (left), converse with Shameka Campbell, recipient under the Pitch It! Learning and Investing in Your Future Initiative during the closing ceremony for the first Organisation of American States (OAS) Pitch It! Learning and Investing in Your Future initiative at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on September 5. Pitch It!: Learning and Investing in Your Future is a part of the OAS ‘A New Path’ Initiative.

9 years ago National Security and Peace

Young People Embarking on ‘A New Path’ to Economic Independence

National Security State Minister, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., has hailed the ‘A New Path’ initiative as a movement that not only transforms the lives of beneficiaries but also guides them along a course of economic independence. ‘A New Path’ targets young people drawn from juvenile remand centres, State care facilities and the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP)....

Prime Minister, Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right), greets a young resident of Mount Salem, St. James during a tour of the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) in that community on Sunday, September 3. Prime Minister Holness visited Mount Salem to get an update on activities in the ZOSO, which was declared on Friday, September 1. Looking on are Attorney-General and Member of Parliament for West Central St. James, Hon. Marlene Malahoo-Forte (centre); and National Security Minister, Hon. Robert Montague (right, partly hidden). (File)

9 years ago National Security and Peace

Back-to-School Fund Established for Students in Mount Salem

A special back-to-school fund has been established for needy students in Mount Salem, St. James, where a zone of special operations (ZOSO) is in effect. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, said the fund will ensure that every single child in the community is registered in school. He said it will assist students having challenges with back-to-school expenses, including...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre), is briefed on activities within the Mount Salem Zone of Special Operations in St. James by Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Major Godfrey Sterling (right), during a tour of the community on Sunday, September 3. Major Sterling is jointly in charge of operations in the Zone with Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Superintendent, Kirk Ricketts. Accompanying the Prime Minister (from left) are Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Rocky Meade; Attorney-General and Member of Parliament for West Central St. James where Mount Salem is located, Hon. Marlene Malahoo-Forte; National Security Advisor, Major General Antony Anderson; and National Security Minister, Hon. Robert Montague.

9 years ago National Security and PeacePrime Minister

Careful Intelligence and Planning will Determine Next Zone – Prime Minister

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the next zone of special operations will be declared based on careful intelligence and planning. Mr. Holness, who was speaking at a press conference held at the Office of the Prime Minister, Western Region in Montego Bay, on September 3, said while it makes sense to move into other violence-prone areas in...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right), greets a resident of Mount Salem in St. James during a tour of the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) in that community on Sunday, September 3. Prime Minister Holness visited Mount Salem to get an update on activities in the ZOSO, which was declared on Friday, September 1.

9 years ago National Security and PeacePrime Minister

Prime Minister Says Identities will be Protected in Reporting Gun Locations

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says persons should not be afraid to call in on the Government’s $100-million islandwide cash for guns reward programme, noting that all identities will be protected. Mr. Holness, who was speaking at a press conference on September 3 at the Montego Bay Regional Office of the Office of the Prime Minister, said the...

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre) touring sections of Mount Salem in St. James where a zone of special operation has been established.

9 years ago National Security and Peace

Mount Salem Residents Welcome Security Operations

Residents of Mount Salem in St. James are declaring their support for the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO), expressing the hope that the presence of the security forces will help bring peace to their community. “I have no problem with what is taking place,” said 58-year-old Claudette Watkis, who has lived in Mount Salem all her life. Ms. Watkis, who...

Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague.

9 years ago National Security and Peace

Crime a Major Cost to the Economy – Montague

Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague, says the Government is determined to curtail the scourge of crime, which he noted, is a significant cost to the economy. Addressing a town hall meeting in St. Ann’s Bay on August 31, Minister Montague said the cost of crime is approximately five per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “If...