The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) recorded a 1.47 per cent decrease in complaints received in 2024, with the total falling to 1,071 compared to 1,087 in 2023. This is outlined in the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ) 2024. The most prevalent categories of complaints received by INDECOM in 2024 were assault (566), discharge...

The Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) is hailing as a success their recent participation in the Canadian Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (CACOLE) annual conference. The conference brought together practitioners in the field of civilian oversight from Canada and the Caribbean, including Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. This year, for the first time, the PCOA was invited to...

The Legal Aid Council (LAC) is taking steps to equip police stations with updated lists of Duty Counsels. A Duty Counsel is an attorney appointed to provide legal representation for individuals detained in police stations or lockups. “We want lawyers to be readily available to go to the police station and we want the police officers to have this list,...

Prime Minister and Chair of CARICOM, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has underscored the urgent need for strengthened regional security, emphasising that economic integration through the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) cannot succeed without a safe and stable environment. In his address during a business forum breakfast, held at Sandals Montego Bay in St. James, on July 8,...

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (second left) and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders, listen as Jamaica's Commissioner of Police, Dr. Kevin Blake (right), guides a tour of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Transformations, People and Quality Technology Expo 2.0 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on Sunday (July 6). The exhibition, being held during...

In 2024, Crime Stop Jamaica received 867 tips, resulting in $7.5 million in rewards – $6.3 million of which was paid under the Rewards for Guns Campaign. This is contained in the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) 2024 Economic and Social Survey, which was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 1). The report further notes that law-enforcement...

For the past three years, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has been surpassing its rehabilitation and training targets, says Deputy Commissioner of Corrections, Dr. Marc Thomas. Speaking at the recent Tamarind Farm Agricultural Day and Graduation Ceremony for inmates, in St. Catherine, the Deputy Commissioner said the courses include seedling production, greenhouse management, poultry management, layer and broiler production,...