Gov’t Looking At Public-Private Partnership to Expand CCTV Coverage

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government is looking to partner with the private sector to expand closed-circuit television (CCTV) coverage across the island.

“We are hoping to work with businesses that already have cameras…we are developing a protocol in which we can use privately owned cameras to point in the public’s direction and have the Internet Protocol (IP) sent to a central database,” he said.

He was addressing the Prime Minister’s quarterly press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister on Devon Road in Kingston on September 21.

The Prime Minister said that “this will be a fairly easy way of expanding CCTV camera coverage (and) networks right across the country, which will increase the capacity of law-enforcement agencies to see what is happening in public spaces”.

He informed that the possibility of fiscal incentives for such partnerships is being examined.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said that no further additional funding and extension will be given for the completion of the Financial Sector Adjustment Company (FINSAC) Commission of Enquiry Report.

He said it is time “to put (the matter) to a close and learn from it”.

At a recent post-Cabinet press briefing, Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, informed that approval had been given for a revised budget of $58.3 million for the completion of the report.

“We agonised over this particular decision, and what was presented to us was the actual amount of files and actual work now to be done, which has been cost independently,” he said.

“On that basis, Cabinet was convinced that the expenditure could be supported, and we feel, therefore, that this revised budget will finally give us a completed FINSAC report,” he added.