Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the government has been taking deliberate actions to fortify the country’s security architecture to prevent it from becoming a refuge for organized criminal gangs.
He was speaking at a national security seminar hosted by the Office of the National Security Advisor on Thursday at the AC Hotel in Kingston.
Holness said the steps taken should make it more difficult for organized groups to gain access to the country’s ports, corrupt law enforcement officers, and bring guns into the country.
He also noted that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) structure has been strengthened, while the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is undergoing structural change.
“They have done their strategic defence review…; it sets out how the JDF is transforming itself to meet the challenges of the next decade or so. We are also building the capacity of the Major Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA),” he said, noting that the entity is “emerging very nicely as a strong, robust law enforcement and investigative agency to tackle high-level crime and corruption” the prime minister said.
Holness further shared that the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) and the Passport, Immigration, and Citizenship Agency (PICA) are being modernized to aid in the fight against crime.
He explained that in addition to the security forces, Customs has been specifically tasked to tighten its operations. He said this is to ensure there is a high level of integrity of their own agents and officers, ensure guns are turned in, and to build public awareness and participation in the efforts to get the guns coming through the country’s legal ports.
Furthermore, he said the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) had been enhanced in order to ensure that legal firearms are properly regulated.
He also highlighted the strengthening of the maritime space, with investments in offshore/inshore patrol vessels; aircraft, including new helicopters to assist in emergency response.
