Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
LOCAL GOVERNMENT Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced on Tuesday that the Government is seeking to re-introduce municipal policing to help enforce building codes.
Her comments followed those of Prime Minister P.J. Patterson who announced the same day in the House of Representatives, that laws were coming to prohibit residents from living in disaster-prone areas.
Speaking against the background of the dislocation Hurricane Dennis caused last week, Mrs. Simpson Miller said that municipal policing was discontinued several years ago as it was thought to be redundant.
"We will be doing a review of the municipal police to see what can be done," she said. She continued that "a decision was taken by the government that we should not have the different arms, and the Minister of National Security had agreed. But I think he will agree that security forces are coming under extreme pressure right now and it would be good for us to look at the re-establishment of the municipal police."
NO PREPARATION
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bruce Golding chided the Government for not properly preparing for the current hurricane season, despite early warnings.
Responding to Mr. Patterson's statement made in the aftermath of Hurricane Dennis, Mr. Golding said hurricane advisories were issued from as early as May this year.
The Opposition Leader added that there was no sustained drain-cleaning programme, as drain-cleaning responsibility is usually passed between central and local government authorities.
However, Mrs. Simpson Miller said she had given directives for money to be disbursed from the Parochial Revenue Fund for quarterly drain-cleaning islandwide.
