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...

New and incoming members of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) Board of Visitors (BOV) are being urged to carry out their duties with moral courage, unwavering commitment, and a sense of fairness in upholding the principles of justice. The charge came from State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert Flynn, at the BOV’s Orientation and...

The Government will continue investing in and supporting crime prevention and social intervention strategies that focus on reducing violence, as a feature of the society, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has said. “The next phase of the Government’s crime fighting strategy is to treat with the centre of the problem… and the centre of the problem is the...

Police officers attached to the Bull Bay Police Station in St. Andrew are operating in a reasonable and functional space, after being temporarily relocated due to the alignment of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP). This assurance comes from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, who toured the station’s new location at Gems...