JPs in St. Ann Receive Official Seals

One hundred and twenty-eight (128) Justices of the Peace (JPs) in the parish of St. Ann received their official seals, at a function held at the St. Ann’s Bay Anglican Church Hall last week Thursday (October 14).
The function was organised by the Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the Office of the Custos in the parish.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice Senator A.J. Nicholson, who was the guest speaker at the event, said it was the JPs who first proposed that they be granted official seals to carry out their duties. “When I came to office, one of the first things that fell in my lap was the passing of the Act itself to have these seals go into the hands of the Justices of the Peace and this is the culmination of such exercise,” he stated.
He pointed out that the JPs played a very important role in communities by signing and authenticating documents. “For the past years, the JPs have been using their own locally made stamps, which were not really authentic instruments in the sense that there was no law that governed it.
“The seal is meant to be a part of the Office of Justice. It is a part of what defines the Justice of the Peace in that he is the chief negotiator and is answerable to the citizens of his country,” Senator Nicholson stated.
He encouraged members of the public to allow the work of the JPs to “blossom” and to appreciate their functions and respect the position they held. “We believe that once the Justices of the Peace have these seals, it will assist them further in making positive achievements,” he concluded.
Among those in attendance at the function were Carol Palmer, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry; Radcliff Walters, Custos Rotulorum for the Parish and Leon Gordon, Representative from the St. Ann Lay Magistrates Association.