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JAMAICA: C-TOC To Develop Checklist to Help Schools Identify Students with Deviant Behaviour Traits

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#Jamaica, April 24, 2018 – Kingston – The Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will be developing a checklist that will help school officials to identify students with deviant behaviour traits.

The checklist, which will be developed over the next few weeks, forms part of a strategy being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Information aimed at deterring students from engaging in illicit activities, particularly gangs.

Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said he fully endorses the move, noting that the Ministry is looking forward to the partnership.  He pointed out that it is important for the Ministry to monitor every child, particularly those deemed at-risk, in order to provide the necessary support that will ensure they lead productive lives and not turn to crime.

“So once you identify vulnerable households, vulnerable mothers, boys, children, there is a strategy to support, because if you don’t… that is where the gang comes in with the support,” he said, noting that many youth join gangs for familial support.

He was speaking at a high-level strategy meeting at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle location on Monday (April 16).

Chief Education Officer, Dr Grace McLean also welcomed the initiative, noting she was heartened that the JCF has taken the lead in working directly with the Education Ministry to encourage positive behaviour change among youth.

 

 

She noted that this partnership would involve the development of a database within the Ministry on those students who have displayed deviant behaviour, in order to track them through the education system. In addition, the JCF would also provide information on these individuals to the Ministry relating to matters outside of the system.

“This is one area that I really want us to move quickly on, because we are of the opinion that if we are able to identify these deviant behaviours very early, and if youngsters know that education is tracking them, other services such as the JCF are also tracking them, then we expect to start seeing some kind of turnround,” she said.

Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Coleridge Minto, who led the talks on the collaboration, explained that CTOC has agreed to assist the Ministry with the training of all principals of public schools, and is to be extended to principals of independent schools.

Principals, along with Deans of Discipline, teachers, and other stakeholders will be educated in identifying traits or signs that a student is likely to become a part of a gang, so he/she can be diverted from this path.

ASP Minto said the initiative is part of a wider strategy of the Ministry in taking a more proactive approach to safety and security within schools.

“We recognise that if we are going to see better results in the years to come, then we will have to not only look at those who already dropped out of the system, and those at risk, but those who are potentially at risk,” he said.

For Head of C-TOC, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Fitz Bailey, this intervention is one sure-fire way to keep troubled youth on the right side of the law.

“We believe that the way we can impact our youth and the way we can create a more lasting change, is to target the youth that are at risk within the schools,” he said.

This partnership, for which an agreement is to be signed soon, is one of several areas of collaboration the Ministry and the JCF are to engage in. Other areas include public education on responsible use of social media; anti-gang initiatives, including the staging of an Anti-Gang Week; and special presentations by C-TOC to school officials.

The activities are to be funded under the US$3-million Safe Schools Project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

Release: JIS

 

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CARPHA Progresses to Eligibility for the First Disbursement of Pandemic Funding

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Following a landmark Public Signing Ceremony for the Pandemic Fund (PF) Technical Cooperation Agreement (“Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response” [RG-T4387] Project) on December 14, 2023, in Trinidad, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) continues to progress towards the start of implementation.

 CARPHA fulfilled the IDB’s nine conditions prior to first disbursement, achieving full eligibility on March 15, 2024, and is now eligible for the first disbursement. This milestone achievement in just 3 months after the signing speaks to the commitment of both CARPHA, the Executing Agency, and IDB, the Implementing Entity, toward the regional PF project with the objective of supporting the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) surveillance & early-warning systems (EWS), laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and in countries.

Since the signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement and as part of the conditions prior to first disbursement, CARPHA has achieved the following key outputs (i) the development of the PF Project Operations Manual, Multi-annual Execution Plan, Procurement Plan, Financial Plan, Procedure for CARPHA’s Financial Reporting System; (ii) vacancy announcements for two tranches of consultants with the subsequent hiring of five (Technical Coordinator, Financial Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Operations Officer and Project Operations Coordinator) and (iii) the establishment of the Project Execution Unit (PEU) and Project Execution Steering Committee (PESC). The dedicated PEU will be responsible for execution according to its planned timelines, which will be led by the Dr. Lisa Indar, the Project Director (CARPHA’s Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division).

 CARPHA, as the lead regional public health agency and an expression of Caribbean Cooperation in Health is mandated by its Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to support its 26 CARPHA Member States (CMS) in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats. The Agency works closely with regional and international agencies and uses regional mechanisms, surveillance systems, and networks for coordinating its public health response work.

In July 2023, the PF Governing Board announced that CARPHA’s regional entity proposal, entitled ‘Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Strengthened Integrated Early Warning Surveillance, Laboratory Systems and Workforce Development’ was successfully selected for the first round of financing. It was one of only 19 proposals selected from over 300 submissions and the only regional project. The three priority areas in the proposal are: (i) Comprehensive disease surveillance and EWS, (ii) Laboratory systems and (iii) Human resources and public health and community workforce capacity.

This project is expected to begin implementation in March 2024, starting off with a blended onboarding session. A Stakeholder Meeting with countries is tentatively planned for July 2024.

CARPHA remains dedicated to working together with the IDB, CARPHA Member States and the Pandemic Fund to successfully implement the regional proposal geared toward reducing the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean.

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Men who had Murdered Man, Marley Higgs’ cell phone face Court

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Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

The prosecution intends to try two young North Caicos men, both age 21 for the offense of possession of property of a murdered man, property that was stolen and landed in their possession.

The phone belonged to Peureton ‘Marley’ Higgs, who is believed to have been an innocent gunned down at his apartment complex in the Glass Shack area in a spray of bullets on February 2 that killed another man and wounded two others, including a ten-year-old little girl.

The cell phone was described as white in colour, an iPhone, in a hard black case. 

On Monday, March 18th, JEFFVANO HANDFIELD of North Caicos pleaded not guilty to the offense, and the matter was adjourned to April 2024. He was granted bail in the matter.

A second North Caicos man was charged similarly.  

SARENO CAPELLAN aka, Kino Williams is the second individual brought before the court pertaining to the said cellphone. He appeared in court a week after JEFFVANO HANDFIELD, the date being Monday March 25th 2024.

The case for the Crown is that both men sometime in February of this year possessed the cellphone knowing or suspecting it to be stolen property.

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Supreme Court Closed for Easter

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NOTICE is hereby given that the Easter Recess shall commence on Friday 29th April, 2024 and end on Friday 5th April, 2024. During the Easter Recess Judge Selochan will be available to deal only with matters that are urgent or require prompt attention.

Court Business During the Easter Recess

A person who wishes to have a matter heard during the recess must file a certificate of urgency along with an affidavit, which must set out the reasons why the matter is urgent or requires prompt attention. The matter will not be listed during the recess unless the Judge deems it fit for urgent hearing.

Opening Hours During the Easter Holiday

The Supreme Court’s last sitting day for the first term is Thursday 28th March, 2024. The Court will officially resume sittings on Monday 8th April, 2024. The Supreme Court Offices in both Grand Turk and Providenciales will continue to operate while the Court is not sitting during the recess.

The Court Office will be closed on the following public holidays:

  • Friday 29th March, 2024 (Good Friday) CLOSED
  • Monday 1st April, 2024 (Easter Monday) CLOSED

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