JCF to Get Motor Vehicles

Cabinet has approved the award of a $65.1 million contract to Toyota Jamaica Limited for the purchase of motor vehicles for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
The vehicles to be supplied include 34 double cab pick-ups and five, three-tonne troupe-carrying trucks.
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Senator Dwight Nelson, speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing held at Jamaica House today (June 11), said that the Government has given its commitment to make significant investments over the next five years to bring the fleet of the police force up to an ideal operational standard.
He noted that in December last year, Cabinet approved a sum of $280 million to support the immediate needs of the security forces, and that of that sum, $75 million was earmarked for motor vehicles.
Mr. Nelson said that Cabinet was satisfied that these motor vehicles “will supplement the fleet and improve the mobility of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF),” adding that the JCF would receive the vehicles “in a matter of weeks.”
In the meantime, Mr. Nelson informed that two contracts were awarded under the Primary Education Support Project (PESP). M and M Jamaica Limited was awarded a contract valued $126,801,322.12 to construct a building for an extension to the Chester Castle All-age School in Hanover, while H.D.B Construction Limited was awarded $198, 479, 047.53 to construct a new primary school at Mansfield in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.
Additionally, Cabinet also gave approval for the award of a $27,177,110.24 contract to Thomas Hamilton Associates Company Limited to undertake electrical upgrading work at five of the Ministry of Education’s regional offices.
Also, a sum of $21,610,050 was awarded to the University of Technology to undertake the preparation of a National Housing Policy and Implementation Plan for Jamaica.
Mr. Nelson informed that the objective was to see how best the vision of access to adequate, legal, and affordable housing in Jamaica could be facilitated, while noting that the National Housing Policy and Implementation Plan would also inform the Government, how this objective could be achieved.
“In addressing the achievement of this objective, there are a lot of variables that will need to be addressed and squatting, of course, is one of the variables that needs to be addressed,” he added.