Excerpts of Dr. Peter Phillips' broadcast to the nation last night in which he outlined the Government's plans to fight crime.
BORDER CONTROL
First priority is to tighten control over Jamaica's borders, to plug the holes through which the drugs, guns and ammunition flow.
To this end, legislation is being developed to enforce greater control over access to air and seaports and to set more stringent standards for port operators.
Greater use will be made of modern equipment at ports. A team left the island on Monday to review available x-ray technologies, to allow for the electronic and physical inspection of all cargo coming through our air and seaports. Steps have already been taken to secure closed surveillance equipment for this purpose.
In order to enhance our in-shore and off-shore patrol and interdiction capability, the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard will shortly receive three new-high-speed marine patrol vessels and efforts are underway to identify other craft as well as to secure appropriate vessels for the Marine Police.
In addition, negotiations are underway to secure coastal surveillance, radar equipment to facilitate interdiction efforts by the Combined Security Forces and their foreign partners.
Immediately, we will be strengthening the Immigration Department, supplying new data processing and information technologies to apprehend foreign criminal elements who seek use Jamaica to carry out their criminal activity.
DRUG TRAFFICKERS SCAN
With foreign assistance, we are acquiring IONSCAN equipment and associated technical support to detect and apprehend drug traffickers moving in and out of the country.
MONEY LAUNDERING
The Money Laundering Act will be amended and strengthened to plug existing loopholes and among other things, broaden the mandatory requirement for reporting suspicious money transactions.
INTELLIGENCE
A review of the country's intelligence infrastructures. In pursuit of this, among other things, I will be undertaking a series of visits beginning next week to the US to be followed by the UK and Canada. In this regard also, it is urgent that we debate and pass the Intercept Legislation that is currently before Parliament.
The Fingerprint Act is also to be amended to enable police to take fingerprints and photographs upon arrest for crimes involving firearms and drugs.
MANPOWER
In the short-term, any effort to bring in the guns and create a more peaceful atmosphere in the communities will require more security personnel.
There is to be a major recruitment effort to fill these 3,000 vacancies between the Jamaica Defence Force, Jamaica Constabulary Force and Island Special Constabulary Force, and to provide training.
PROTOCOL WITH SECURITY INDUSTRY
The Jamaica Constabulary Force has negotiated a Protocol of Collaboration with the Jamaica Society of Industrial Security which will be signed by the end of this month and will involve collaboration in respect of information sharing and technical expertise with selected Private Security enterprises.
As part of the exercise, the JCF will, this April, take over direct management control of its budget and two civilians will be appointed to the force at the level of Deputy Commissioner. They will have responsibility for finance and human resources respectively. A new management information system and additional technology will support the re-organisation exercise.
CRIME FIGHTING
The Commissioner of Police and the Chief of Staff have been instructed to immediately develop fighting response capabilities to rapidly confront the terrorist challenge, wherever it occurs in Jamaica. This will involve joint operations by military and police personnel. The Security Chiefs have already begun to review their land, air and sea tactics. Also in this regard, I have requested international assistance and advisers from friendly countries with experience in fighting urban terrorism. This response capability will be in addition to the crime fighting functions of the Crime Management Unit.
A number of armoured vehicles and other crime fighting equipment will arrive in the island this month to assist the Security Forces in the battle to take back our communities from the criminals and terrorists.
As part of the strategy to curb extreme acts of terrorism of the nature that occurred at Park Lane, 100 Lane off Red Hills Road and Mountain View Avenue, work is now proceedings on new Anti-terrorism Legislation.
FIREARM PENALTIES
Legislation is also being prepared to provide for stiffer penalties for firearm offences including life imprisonment for the importation and distribution of illegal firearms.
PUBLIC ORDER
The police will be embarking on a programme to ensure observations of the provisions of the Road Traffic Act across the country. Taxis and other public transport operators will be obligated to obey the rules of the Act.
PEACE MANAGEMENT
Launch of Peace Management Iniative involving the political parties, the Church, civic organisations, musicians, the University of the West Indies and non-government agencies.
Bishop Herro Blair of the Faith Deliverance Centre has kindly agreed to co-ordinate this initiative.
