Fulfilling a commitment given by Minister Peter Bunting during his sectoral debate presentation in June that there would be a complete separation of juveniles from adults in the correctional system by the end of 2013, the Ministry of National Security is today announcing that all female juveniles are now housed at the renovated South Camp Road facility. Last week the...

The country continues to record declines in murder, and other serious and violent crimes, with the numbers falling by 11 per cent for the first six months of 2013. Programme Director for the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s (PIOJ) Plan Development Unit, Richard Lumsden, who made the disclosure during the agency’s quarterly media briefing on Tuesday, August 27, said the murder...

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has been lauded for the security role it is playing, in thwarting internal and external threats to the country’s stability, by Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding. “We owe you a debt of gratitude for making us feel significantly safer, knowing that you have chosen to dedicate yourselves to standing watch over this...

Minister of National Security, Hon. Peter Bunting, has given the assurance that the Government will make good on its commitment to have all female juveniles removed from the Fort Augusta Correctional Centre by year-end. Speaking at on July 17 Jamaica House press briefing, Minister Bunting said that coming out of discussions with the Commissioner of Corrections, the relocation could be...

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, July 9, approved amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), which will provide for the forfeiture of the assets of persons found to have accumulated wealth through criminal means. This was done through the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment of Second Schedule to the Act) Order, 2013, Resolution. Certain offences under the Cyber Crimes...

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, July 9, passed legislation to provide harsher penalties for the crime of human trafficking and to expand the list of offences under the law. Under the amendments to the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act, convicted persons can be imprisoned for up to 20 years, with provision for the court to impose...

A Joint Select Committee of Parliament has been established to consider and report on the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) Act 2013. Minister of National Security, Hon. Peter Bunting, made the announcement during the sitting of the House of Representatives on July 2. He noted that the creation of a Committee was “a condition of Cabinet when it approved...

Approximately $5 billion (US$50 million) is to be expended over the next four years on interventions in communities across Jamaica, as the Ministry of National Security launches the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) III. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Peter Bunting, who provided details during his recent Sectoral presentation, said this third phase of the crime and violence-prevention initiative will be...

National Security Minister, Hon. Peter Bunting, is warning corrupt public officials and professionals, who help to facilitate the illicit activities of criminal kingpins, that they will feel the force of the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Task Force (MOCA). In his contribution to the 2013/14 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 19, Minister Bunting noted that the...