Major General Antony Anderson, Jamaica’s Commissioner of Police, says 30 people living in the United States who are influencers of crime and violence in Jamaica are being sought by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
He made the disclosure recently during a press briefing at the Office of the Prime (OPM) when Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced states of emergency (SOEs) in several parishes.
Anderson emphasized that SOEs are about more than merely arresting individuals and the JCF is also targeting criminals who live in the US.
“As the prime minister says, we’re also working with our overseas partners on some of this. We have a target list of 30 who reside in the US who we’re doing some work on,” Anderson said.
He added: “Those who are over there who believe that they are supporting violence and crime in Jamaica and they are doing so without anybody paying any attention to them they’re sorely mistaken.”
On Thursday, senior representatives from the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) met with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Major General Antony Anderson, and other government officials in Washington.
The meeting was called to discuss the increasing danger posed by transnational criminal gangs, organized criminal violence, and the trafficking of illegal guns into Jamaica.
According to a media release from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), during the meeting, the police commissioner noted that “closer cooperation will ensure that criminals do not feel they have a safe haven in the United States from which to sponsor crime in Jamaica.”
As for the issue of the illegal export of firearms, Holness said the United States is taking even greater steps to deal with the problem of the illegal export of firearms.
“We are pleased to note the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which creates a legal framework to interdict and prosecute persons illegally exporting guns from the United States,” he added.
Holness asked that the new Act give special attention to Jamaican traffickers and firearms intended for Jamaica.
According to the OPM, the meeting reviewed current programs and alliances, highlighted gaps that need to be filled, and looked into possibilities for advancing cooperation.
The OPM said possibilities for expanding institutional and human resource capacity-building and training were also explored.
