The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) will be procuring more immigration kiosks as it moves the nation’s airports to global travel standards. The automated immigration kiosks are designed to detect people’s travel history. They primarily facilitate smoother and quicker travel, as it validates the information that you would have submitted and will give you your landing record. Chief Executive...

The Government will be moving to fully implement the Public Officials Protection System (POPS) Policy in the 2024/25 financial year.   The implementation will result in an overhaul of the age-old practice of assigning members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to provide close protection support for public officials.   Addressing the Private Security Regulation Authority’s (PSRA) annual conference on Saturday (September...

The Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) and the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to undertake a comprehensive study on the impact of crime in the city of Montego Bay.   To be carried out by researchers from the UCC over the next three months, at a cost of $1 million,...

There has been significant take-up of the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) e-passport since its introduction in April. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for PICA, Andrew Wynter, told JIS News that the agency is pleased with the public’s response. “Since we have introduced the e-passport, I think we have probably issued maybe close to 100,000 passports; people have taken… to...

The Joint Select Committee reviewing the Cybercrimes Act is recommending harsher penalties for offences against a child. “The Committee supports the recommendation that there should be harsher penalties in relation to offences against children and that there should be a distinction between the penalties for offences committed against children by children and adult offenders,” said Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications...

The Government is taking a more robust and targeted approach to tackling the trade of illegal firearms and drugs. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, said there is a critical link between the illicit trades, which are being orchestrated by transnational criminal networks that operate seamlessly across borders. He said the Government recognises that...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says Jamaica is committed to the fight against the transshipment of illicit drugs and continues to bolster measures to protect the country’s borders. He said the focus is on disrupting transnational criminal networks and their supply chains. “Jamaica is aggressively seeking to strengthen the capacity of the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) as a...