By Erica James-King, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
IN A bid to thwart contraband activities and bolster security standards at the island's ports, the Ministry of National Security is drafting the Port Security Act, and the preparation of that legislation is far advanced.
The new act will include provisions for the establishment of a Security Agency with powers to conduct employment investigations on all employees with access to the ports, and impose restrictions on security sensitive positions at the ports.
Making the disclosure in Montego Bay, St. James, Gilbert Scott, Permanent Secretary in the Security Ministry pinpoints that when the Port Security Act becomes effective, it will authorise the Security Agency to gather intelligence concerning port-related threats.
"The Port Security Act... includes provision for the establishment of a Security Agency to monitor and maintain security standards at each of the ports," Mr. Scott announced while addressing delegates at the recent Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA) conference and exhibition at Half Moon Hotel.
ADOPTION
"This Agency will also be instrumental in recommending to the Minister of National Security the adoption of any security regulations and security standards established by international organisations."
In the meantime, the Security Ministry is singing praises for the benefits of the ION Scan machines which were installed at the nation's airports in May last year. According to the Ministry, it has seen a dramatic reduction in drugs being smuggled out of the island's two international airports, since the ION Scan machines have become an effective deterrent to drug couriers.
"Within a month (of the introduction of the machine), the detection of (drug) couriers had exceeded in one month, all the detection in the previous five months of the year," said Gilbert Scott.
Acknowledging that narcotics smuggling through the airports has not ceased, the Security Ministry official however insisted that such illegal activity at the airports is now only "a mere percentage of what (drug smuggling at the airports) transpired prior to the introduction of this new technology." These pronouncements from the Permanent Secretary in the Security Ministry came amidst feverish discussions during the conference on security measures for shipping interests, at the conference and exhibition of the CSA which attracted in excess of 260 delegates from 24 countries. Countries and shipping interests have been paying overwhelming focus on security matters since the dramatic increase in narcotics/gun smuggling in recent times as well as the September 11, 2000 attacks on the United States. Against this background, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is seeking to have a new security regime for ports in July 2004. That new regime is dubbed the Inter-national Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code.
