The Jamaica government has announced a series of measures to combat crime and violence and to improve the effectiveness of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in 2017.
Speaking at the recent JFC’s annual devotional exercise at the Police Commissioner’s Office National Security Minister Robert Montague announced the arrival of two naval ships on Jan. 21 from the Netherlands for the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) Coast Guard, to patrol the seas in order to secure the nation’s borders to prevent the trafficking of illegal guns and ammunition.
A surveillance plane will also be arriving later this year, which will provide additional protection and security to Jamaica’s borders to prevent the trafficking of illegal guns and ammunition.
The minister said 200 more vehicles will be added to the JCF fleet in order to enable every police station to respond appropriately to various occurrences.
Montague noted that the government will be expanding the closed-circuit television (CCTV) network.
Regarding legislation, the minister said several changes were coming to the Bail, Firearm and Fingerprint Acts.
Some 40 rank-and-file members of the JCF will be traveling to Cuba for training with dogs that have been acquired.
In his New Year’s message to the nation, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the government is prepared to use the full force of the law to address the crime problem, as it is the greatest threat to the country’s economic independence.
