PM Golding Appeals for Calm and Announces Action Plan to Deal With Reports of Abduction

Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, is reassuring the country that the security forces have stepped up their vigilance and investigations into reports of abduction of children from a number of schools around the island.
He is calling on citizens to remain calm.
At an emergency meeting this morning (Nov 8), at Jamaica House, with the Ministers of Education and National Security, the High command of the JCF, the JDF, and other stakeholders,, the Prime Minister was assured that ongoing investigations to date by the police into the reports of abduction, reveal that there is a significant gap between the reality and the perception.
The meeting discussed the concerns and anxieties being expressed by the public and agreed on several measures to be put in place or enhanced, to address these fears of abductions particularly around certain schools in the corporate area and out of town.
The plan of action will see : . an immediate increase in police patrols at the schools which have reported the cases of abductions . a general enhancement of the existing Safe Schools Programme. an increase in the recruitment of District Officers which will be undertaken by the police working closely with the Ministry of Education. the provision of up to date and detailed reports and figures relating to the abductions or alleged abductions to the Prime Minister on a weekly basis . and the provision of profiles of the missing persons to assist the police in their investigations.
The meeting also put forward for consideration:. a proposal for the involvement of private sector security firms to work with the police in patrolling specific areas.
A sub-committee chaired by the Minister of Education, Andrew Holness and including the Ministry of National Security and the JCF, has also been established to review policies and develop programmes that will address issues of discipline, safety and protection of students and the rehabilitation of students with deviant behaviour. This group will also address further, the measures for implementation and develop a medium and long-term action plan, rooted in the Ministry of Education’s newly developed Security and Safety in Schools Manual.
In the meantime, the police have called on the public to report all incidents of abduction or criminal activity, while at the same time reminding them that making false reports will only help to create unnecessary fear and panic within the society. The public is also being urged to be vigilant and to take responsibility at the community level to support the efforts of the police by providing them with information where possible.