Approximately $4.2 billion has been budgeted by the Government to bolster the operational capabilities of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) in the new fiscal year. Of the sum, $2.3 billion will go towards purchasing helicopters and fixed-wing aircrafts; $1.1 billion to acquire equipment to facilitate the procurement of radar, marine offshore patrol vessels, cameras, software, hardware and other equipment; $450...

The Government has set aside $1 billion to continue the buildout of cybersecurity initiatives of the security forces. The programme aims to facilitate the security force’s enhanced use of technology to ensure national security. In the 2021/22 fiscal year, the money will be used to continue the procurement of software and hardware to build out the cybersecurity capability of the...

A new $200-million police divisional headquarters is to be constructed in Westmoreland. For the fiscal year 2021/22, it is anticipated that 40 per cent of construction activities will be completed. Details of the project are outlined in the 2021/22 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives The Estimates were tabled by Minister of Finance and the Public Service,...

The Government has budgeted $309 million for the construction of the Forensic Pathology Autopsy Suite. The project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of National Security, aims to increase the forensic capacity of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and reduce the backlog in criminal and other cases. It is anticipated that 40 per cent of construction activities will be...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda says the Government will be making structured and systematic improvements to the infrastructure of institutions within the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). He noted that an approach similar to that used under the Ministry of National Security’s Project Rebuild, Overhaul and Construct (Project ROC) aimed at...

National Security Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says targeted investments in education and the nation’s youth can potentially curtail crime and violence in Jamaica over the long-term. Against this background, Dr. Chang said his Ministry will be focusing resources on children at the primary school level and their families as a preemptive measure to curb crime, particularly murder. “Our commitment...

Thirty young men drawn from vulnerable communities across St. James have enrolled in the inaugural truck driver simulator training programme being offered at the Caribbean Military Academy (CMA), the tertiary institution of Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), which is situated in the community of Flanker in the parish. The programme is being undertaken at a cost of approximately $20 million through...