KINGSTON, Jamaica – An additional 700 police personnel will be deployed to various locations across the island as the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) institutes measures to ensure the safety of citizens during the busy Christmas season.
“The JCF is giving the public the assurance that all available police men and women will be on the street during this Christmas period,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of operations, Glenmore Hinds at a press briefing held this morning (December 9) at the Commissioner’s Office.
Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (Jamaica) in charge of operations, Glenmore Hinds, announces plans to beef up personnel on the streets of Jamaica during the holiday season.
The additional personnel, he said, will be drawn from the Commissioner’s Office, the Police Academy staff college, and other areas. In addition, members of the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) will be refocused to deal with road policing. “The major districts, markets, parks, plazas will be our special areas of focus,” he said.
The number of motorised patrols will also increase from 15 to 90 per shift, with the process being assisted through the 140 vehicles recently acquired.
In the meantime, DCP Hinds informed that the JCF is moving to create a Metropolitan Police Motorised Division, involving St. Andrew North, St. Andrew Central, Kingston Western, Kingston Eastern, and Kingston Central, while highway patrol, which is normally supervised by area officers, will be devolved to divisional commanders. “The idea is to remove the focus of traffic as the remit of highway patrol to anti-crime and traffic duty as well,” DCP Hinds explained.
He said that greater focus is being placed on traffic management and all motorised traffic personnel have been redeployed and will now fall under the command of the Traffic Division at Elletson Road.
Investigation of traffic accidents will still be done by individual divisions, but the management of these operations will be the remit of the Traffic Division.
On the matter of events, DCP Hinds said the police will continue to rigourously enforce the Noise Abatement Act.
“We anticipate that there will be an increase in requests to stage events.we are appealing to all persons, who wish to promote these events, to ensure that they have the requisite permits in place and that these events should not be advertised before the requisite permits are applied for and obtained.
“We have given strict instructions to our divisional commanders that the well-being of the majority must supersede that of the few and consequently, any musical entertainment that is going to affect even one citizen, careful consideration must be given before a permit is granted to stage these events,” DCP Hinds stated.
He used the opportunity to urge the media to share the safety tips that the JCF has published, with the public. Citizens can also contact their local community safety officer or the JCF Community Safety and Security Branch at: 876-929-1282, or visit [email protected].
