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Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia Grange, has called for further amendments to be made to the Sexual Offences Act, to include provisions to protect persons with physical incapacities. "The section that deals with persons with disabilities only has provisions to protect persons with mental disorders. These provisions should be extended to persons with physical incapacities as well,...

Inter-communication capability among the security forces and correctional services are being beefed up to provide for more operational efficiency and service delivery. Cabinet this week approved the award of a contract by the Ministry of National Security in the sum of US$1,437,282 to Motorola Incorporated, for the supply of radios and accessories for the Jamaica Defence Force, the Jamaica Constabulary...

Minister of Health and Environment, Rudyard Spencer, has said that despite the significant progress being made by the Ministry in improving health services, the sector remained challenged by the scourge of violence in society. The Minister made this declaration in a speech, read by Chief Medical Officer of Health in the Ministry, Dr. Sheila Campbell-Forrester , at the 'Peace for...

The Honourable Olivia "Babsy" Grange has said that she believes that the most important step that the country can take towards controlling crime and violence "is to breakdown that wall that exists between the police and the citizens, especially our young citizens and the police." Minister Grange was the guest speaker at the official launch of the National Police Youth...

Minister of National Security, Col. Trevor MacMillan, has said that even though violence has become a major problem within schools, it was a minority of students who are committing the offences. "During a meeting with principals from across the island, one said that there were six boys who gave all the trouble in the school. [Another principal] had a larger...

The Police convalescent home in St. Elizabeth has benefited from some $270,000 worth of gym equipment, to aid in the physical rehabilitation of cops, who are recovering from various injuries. Funding for the equipment, which includes two multi-purpose exercise machines, treadmills, weights racks and exercise mats, came from the proceeds of the 2007 National Leadership Prayer Breakfast. Members of the...

Executive Director of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), Lynne Anne Williams, has commended the efforts of the Government of Jamaica to work with other Caribbean heads to strengthen security in the region. She was speaking at the opening of the 12th Joint Meeting of the CARICOM Standing Committees of Commissioners of Police and Military...

Minister of National Security, Senator Col. Trevor MacMillan, has said that the Government is making every effort to provide the necessary resources to rehabilitate the country's juvenile facilities, particularly the one in Montpelier, St. James. "The Montpelier juvenile facility is under construction and others are in our plans," he said, noting that some provision for the works should be made...

Minister of National Security, Senator the Hon. Col. Trevor MacMillan this morning visited the Horizon Adult Remand Centre and the Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre where he met with juveniles being housed at both institutions. Addressing the media following the tour, the minister said he wanted a firsthand look at the conditions under which the juveniles were being housed. He...

The Police Public Complaints Authority (PPCA), has established a contact point at 39 Main Street, Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth. Making the disclosure at the recent monthly meeting of the St. Elizabeth Parish Council, Acting Director of Complaints and Investigations, Cleon Roberts, said the office is opened every second Thursday, from 10:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. "It is there to serve,...

Education Minister, Andrew Holness, has said that schools, which are major agents of socialisation, could be used to break the cycle of violence and crime surrounding the country, by being transformed into violence-free zones. He was speaking at the opening of a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)-sponsored workshop yesterday (Feb. 16), at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios,...

Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Arthur Williams Jnr. will participate in this week's Ministerial Conference on Security, Drug Trafficking, Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism as Challenges to Development in the Caribbean in the Dominican Republic. The conference which is organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) and the Government...