Praedial Larceny Seminars And Workshops For St. Catherine

The Praedial Larceny Prevention Coordination Unit (PLPCU) in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries continues its series of praedial larceny-prevention sensitisation seminars and workshops in St. Catherine on February 12 and 27, respectively.

The sessions, being held in collaboration with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), are part of the PLPCU’s public education campaign aimed at heightening awareness about the devastating effects of farm theft on the agricultural sector.

The sensitisation seminar will take place at the HEART Trust/NTA’s Lluidas Vale Vocational Training Centre starting at 10:00 a.m. and is targeted at farmers living in and around the community.

National Praedial Larceny Prevention Officer at the PLPCU, Sergeant Bruce Williams, told JIS News that the event will entail presentations from representatives of the St. Catherine North Police Division, the Public Health Department, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry, among others.

Meanwhile, the workshop, which is for members of the police division, will take place at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church Hall on Rodney Road in Linstead. Sergeant Williams told JIS News that the session will cover areas such as praedial larceny legislation, traceability and food-safety measures; the Agricultural Business Information System (ABIS); and charges and case management.

The objectives of the PLPCU’s sensitisation seminars and workshops are to increase stakeholder participation in the National Praedial Larceny Prevention Programme; assess the impact of farm theft at the parish level and how adherence to measures can better prevent incidents and protect farmers; and strengthen the enforcement initiatives of the JCF in praedial larceny investigation, prevention and risk reduction.

Since the start of the 2019/2020 financial year, sessions have been held in the parishes of St. Mary, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth.

The final seminars and workshops for the period are scheduled to be held in Trelawny in March.