Prime Minister Holness Warns of Organised Violence in Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness Tuesday warned that Jamaica has a deeper problem of organized violence in the society and that the solution does not lie solely with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
Prime Minister Andrew Holness addressing the contract signing ceremony for the St. Catherine Divisional Headquarters. (CMC Photo)“We have something called in Jamaica organised violence. You cannot organise crime and there is no violence. Our organised criminals choose to use violence even when it is not necessary and so you just can’t merely say the response of the police breaches human rights (and) criticise the police in unfair and unjust ways.
“I am not hear saying that the police do not have a higher duty to maintain and protect human rights. What I am saying is that we have a deeper problem of organised violence and even domestic unorganised violence in the society”.
He said the solution is not only in the JCF and “the solution is what are we doing in our schools, what are we doing in the justice system to promote conflict resolution and mediation and all of those are things that we are currently doing.
‘But what are we doing again with the legal system to target gangs that produce violence, and we have been doing that. So the strategy is comprehensive, a very broad strategy,” Holness said as he delivered the key note address at the contract signing ceremony of St. Catherine Divisional Headquarters.
In February during the budget, the government said it had budgeted nearly two billion dollars One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) to carry out key infrastructural works in the upcoming fiscal year to improve several facilities for members of the JCF.
Of the total, J$882 million has been earmarked for the new police divisional headquarters to be constructed in Westmoreland; J$50 million to continue works on the Forensic Pathology Autopsy Suite, and J$990 million for the construction of the St. Catherine North Police Divisional Headquarters.
Holness told the ceremony that if you are going to build an institution, the first place you would want to start is with the leadership noting “you have to develop a doctrine, a culture and since 2016 (when his administration came to office) we have done, I would say a spectacular job in transforming the culture and doctrine and leadership of the JCF.
“Without question, the officer core of the JCF stands head and shoulder and several inches above the rest in the region,” Holness said, adding “when you look at the talent pool that exists in the JCF across several fields, it is amazing.
“That core of leadership will permeate through the organisation and the rank and file. It is going to take time, I am not here telling you that every single officer you meet is imbued with this sense of leadership and responsibility and is a defender of the highest integrity of the organisation.
‘There are some people in the JCF who should not be there, but I am certain that the leadership is working through a process to filter them out and to bring in persons who fit and match the organisational ideology doctrine”.
Holness said this is what is being done in the recruitment process and every month he receives a report on the recruitment process.
He said the report received is not from the police commissioner but from the Major Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) with details of the filtering process of the technology that is being used such as polygraph testing.
He said all the people who are joining the JCF and those who are promoted “go through an intensive process of polygraphing,” adding that the authorities have established to monitor this “broad approach to national security, a national security council”.
He said the government will shortly be presenting a National Security Act that “looks at security from a comprehensive point of view.
‘So we look a security from Customs, we look at security from the anti-corruption perspective, we look at security from cyber, we look at security from telecommunication, we look at security from finance, all elements that could threaten the safety and security of the state…and that is how we manage plane security of Jamaica,” Holdness said.
During his address, Prime Minister Holness urged criminals to put down their weapons, because the police will get them.
“My advice to the criminals is just leave. Just put down your gun and leave because the police are going to get you, one by one two by two and I am certain you are going to hear four and five and you are doing it in a way that’s lawful, protecting the innocent, whilst ensuring that we bring those persons, who are breaking the law…who are organizing violence, we bring them before the courts”.
