The Ministry of National Security will be seeking to have the mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes, trafficking and possession increased. Making his contribution to the 2016/17 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representative on July 6, Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague, said this will be escalated depending on the type of weapon. “Because the gun is featured...

Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague, says the Government is to undertake an audit of the nation’s borders. Making his contribution to the 2016/17 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on July 6, the Minister said the movement of drugs, people and guns is too free and frequent. “If at our established ports we are finding guns and...

Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague, says the Government is working to address and implement the recommendations made in the recent West Kingston Commission of Enquiry (WKCOE) Report. Making his contribution to the 2016/17 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on July 6, Mr Montague pointed out that the Jamaica Defence Force has already moved to review the...

The National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP) is calling for a global and university-based study on the state of human trafficking. “We would like academia to engage with us as a Task Force to do Jamaica’s international study on what is happening around the world,” Chairperson for NATFATIP, Mrs. Carol Palmer, said at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on...

Chairperson for the National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP), Carol Palmer, says the improvement in Jamaica’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) ranking, is an acknowledgment of the important steps being made by the country in the fight against the scourge. Jamaica has been upgraded to Tier 2 from the Tier 2 Watch List, in the United States (US) Department...

Persons involved in the theft of agricultural produce could soon face stiff penalties under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, in his Budget Debate presentation in May, said that an amendment to the Proceeds of Crime Act, to include praedial larceny, is among legislative measures to be given priority this fiscal year. Head...

‘Operation Hope’, a faith-based initiative undertaken by the Clarendon Police to reduce crime and violence across the parish, has been yielding notable successes. Its implementation over five weeks, from May 29 to June 7, focused on alleviating hopelessness, despair, and spiritual and material needs affecting several communities by offering residents, particularly young men, alternatives to a life of crime. The...