Caribbean News

JAMAICA: CCTV Surveillance Programme Gets Private Sector Support

Published

7 years ago

April 17, 2018

#Jamaica, April 17, 2018 – Kingston – The national closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance programme, geared at improving public safety and security, is receiving strong support from members of the private sector, who believe that the initiative will make an impact on crime in the country.

Dubbed ‘Jamaica Eye’, the public-private partnership, launched in March, is designed to network CCTV cameras owned by the Ministry of National Security as well as accommodate feed from privately-owned cameras. The feeds will provide useful footage in relation to criminal activity and other emergencies and will be monitored by a team of security professionals.

President, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Howard Mitchell, says the programme is valuable, not only because of the impact it will have on crime, but because it serves as a template to show the importance of participatory democracy. He is commending the Government for undertaking the programme.

“It is important that when we see a strategy or an action that is comprehensively effective and will make an impact that we endorse it and give full praise to its originators and its implementers,” he says.

Mr. Mitchell is encouraging Jamaicans to support the initiative and join the fight against crime. “We will be endorsing it to our members individually and we will be supporting (the Ministry) and all involved in their promotion attempts,” he pledges.

General Manager, Digicel Business, Brian Bennett Easy, says the initiative will assist with crime reduction and the restoration of public order.

“Technology is an enabler to propel proper governance and we believe that the JamaicaEye initiative is the appropriate action at the right time,” he says.

He notes that perpetrators of crime have become more sophisticated in their operations therefore, advanced technology, with the latest detection tools, will give the security apparatus a significant advantage.

“The team at Digicel Jamaica… intends to collaborate with the Government of Jamaica on this and even more diverse technologies that will help to protect Jamaican citizens, detect and respond to crime and to create a safer Jamaica,” he says.

Group Director, Communication and Quality Control, Guardsman Group, Lieutenant Commander, George Overton, points out that in addition to helping to detect and deter crime, the cameras will be effective in investigating accidents and other incidents. He calls for all Jamaicans to buy into the programme. “I call on every citizen association, every industrial park and industrial complex, every commercial activity and almost every neighbourhood watch to commit at least two cameras to this programme across the island,” he says. He further implores stakeholders in the hospitality sector to commit at least four or five cameras to buildout the public space surrounding their properties, so that the law-enforcement agencies and others can do their jobs effectively.

Lt. Commander Overton, who is also President of the Jamaica Society for Industrial Security, is calling on members of the umbrella group of security companies who are involved in the sale, installation and operation of camera equipment to promote the initiative.

“I fully endorse and give my personal as well as organisational support… in the buildout and development of this programme,” he adds. “This programme is a no-brainer,” he says, noting that he has every confidence in the integrity of the system, “because I know that it is a committed staff that has worked to set it up”.

Project Manager, JamaicaEye, Major Sheldon Bryan, informs that approximately 180 cameras have already been deployed across several parishes islandwide.

“When we realised the space that we need to manage where crime is active, we realised that as a Government, we can’t do it alone. We need a lot more cameras to be a part of the system to increase our situational awareness as to what is happening across the space. So, we are inviting, now, persons who have digital camera systems (to partner with us). Once it is connected to the internet, we are able to take that feed right into the environment into the command centre,” he explains.

Major Bryan says that since the launch of the initiative, persons have been signing up for the programme. “The uptake is positive,” he notes. He informs that a technical team will readily assist persons who may need additional information on the initiative.

Citizens and businesses with CCTV systems may register their camera feeds with JamaicaEye via the website, jamaicaeye.gov.jm.

During the registration process, the Ministry of National Security will capture the relevant details to facilitate connection to the participants’ surveillance cameras. Participants will be required to accept an indemnity clause and have their information vetted by the technical team, which will then establish connectivity. An email will be sent to the participant with a screenshot of the established feed to inform them that the feed is being monitored.

Integrated private and public video feeds channelled into JamaicaEye will pass through a video analytic suite and be filtered through software that will allow for facial recognition, licence plate readings, geofencing and crowd counting, among other features. Government-owned CCTV systems have already been installed in several major towns across the island – Kingston, Montego Bay, Mandeville, Ocho Rios, May Pen and Negril.

The JamaicaEye initiative supports the Ministry’s Situational Prevention component of its five-pillar crime-prevention and reduction strategy, which focuses on forward planning and the use of technology to reduce incidents of crime and their likely occurrence.

For further information about the new national CCTV system visit www.jamaicaeye.gov.jm

By: Chris Patterson (JIS)

Caribbean News

Guyanese Scholar and Olympian Arrested in Iowa ICE Crackdown

Published

1 week ago

September 27, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

September 27, 2025 – In a shocking breach of public trust and institutional oversight, Ian Andre Roberts, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, who is a citizen of Guyana, was arrested on September 26 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a string of serious offenses that raise troubling questions about hiring practices, accountability, and public safety.

Roberts, born in Georgetown, Guyana, is a former Olympian and accomplished scholar. According to online reports, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Coppin State University after transferring from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he played soccer. He holds two master’s degrees—from St. John’s University and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business—attended an Executive MBA program at MIT Sloan School of Management and earned a doctorate in education with a focus on urban educational leadership from Trident University.

Despite these accomplishments, Roberts was living and working without legal authorization. ICE reported that he fled a traffic stop and abandoned his school-issued vehicle. At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly in possession of a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash. He also has a prior weapons-related charge.

ICE officials questioned how Roberts could hold such a prominent role while subject to a final deportation order issued in May 2024. The school district said they were unaware of his immigration status, noting that he had undergone background checks and completed an I-9 form confirming work authorization. Roberts was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.

This case highlights vulnerabilities in systems meant to safeguard public institutions and underscores the challenges ICE faces in identifying individuals operating outside U.S. immigration laws while in positions of authority.

For many, Roberts has become a near-literal poster child for these enforcement gaps.

Caribbean News

Bermuda Shaken by Targeted Murder as Crime Returns After a Decade of Calm

Published

2 weeks ago

September 21, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Bermuda is reeling after the brazen murder of 37-year-old Janae Minors, a mother of two, who was gunned down in her own beauty supply store on Court Street, Pembroke. The attack, which police describe as “targeted,” has rattled the island, not only for its brutality but for what it says about the state of law and order in a country that less than a decade ago was celebrating a dramatic fall in violent crime.

The Attack on Court Street

According to police, at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16, a lone gunman pulled up on a stolen black motorcycle, walked into the Beauty Monster shop Minors owned, and shot her multiple times. Despite the rapid response of emergency services, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after being transported to hospital.

Detectives say the killer was thin, tall, dressed in dark clothing with a full-face helmet, and wearing bright gloves. CCTV shows him fleeing north on Court Street, down Tills Hill toward TCD, before turning onto Marsh Folly Road. Investigators are pursuing all leads, with a focus on recovering evidence from nearby cameras and eyewitness accounts.

Police Commissioner Darrin Simons confirmed the attack bore the hallmarks of gang-related violence, a chilling indicator that Bermuda’s gang rivalries — long simmering beneath the surface — may once again be spilling into broad daylight.

A Vibrant Life Cut Short

Minors, remembered as a hardworking entrepreneur with “a vibrant, beautiful personality,” leaves behind two children, ages 16 and 18. Her murder has ignited outrage across Bermuda, not just for its senselessness but for its timing: the island had once prided itself on virtually stamping out gun violence.

Then: Near-Zero Murders

Back in 2014, Bermuda made international headlines for reporting zero firearm murders — a remarkable achievement given the small island had endured a spate of gang-related shootings in the early 2010s. Police credited intelligence-led operations, tighter firearms interdictions, and aggressive prosecutions of gang leaders. Community programs and mentoring initiatives also played a role, giving at-risk youth alternatives to gang life.

By 2015 and 2016, gun crime was at historic lows. That period was hailed as proof Bermuda could beat back the tide of violence with coordinated policing, social investment, and political will.

Now: Alarming Resurgence

Fast forward nine years, and the picture looks starkly different. In 2024 and 2025, Bermuda has recorded a rise in gun-related deaths. Rival gangs such as Parkside and 42 have resurged, fueled by a new generation of recruits. Economic pressures, high youth unemployment, and the easy flow of smuggled firearms through maritime routes have undermined earlier gains.

Community trust in the police has also eroded, making investigations harder and retaliations more likely. Opposition MPs and neighborhood leaders warn that without sustained focus, Bermuda risks sliding back into the violent cycles of the early 2010s.

Public Alarm and Political Pressure

Premier David Burt condemned Minors’ killing as “an escalation of community violence that cannot be tolerated,” promising stronger enforcement and deeper engagement with residents. The Bermuda Police Service has appealed for CCTV, dashcam, and doorbell footage from the area, urging residents that even the smallest detail could break the case.

Yet among the public, frustration is growing. People remember the calm of 2014 — when zero murders were recorded — and cannot understand how the island has returned to headlines dominated by gun violence. The contrast is stark: from celebrating the elimination of gun murders to confronting the targeted execution of a businesswoman in broad daylight.

A Test for Bermuda’s Future

The murder of Janae Minors has become more than a single case; it is now a symbol of Bermuda’s struggle to hold on to the progress it once made. The question facing the island is whether the successes of a decade ago can be replicated and sustained in today’s harsher climate of economic pressure and gang rivalries.

For Minors’ family, nothing can erase the tragedy of losing a mother and daughter so violently. But for Bermuda at large, her death is a wake-up call — that the island cannot afford complacency when it comes to crime.

As one community leader put it: “Nine years ago, we had beaten this. Now, we’re back to fearing what happens when the sun goes down. That is not the Bermuda we want to live in.”

Caribbean News

CARICOM-Africa Summit Yields Draft Pact on Trade, Travel and Reparations

Published

3 weeks ago

September 19, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Imagine an Atlantic Bridge connecting the Caribbean Region to the African Continent

Deandrea Hamilton | Editor

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — When CARICOM leaders convened with African counterparts and Afreximbank officials in Ethiopia, the outcomes were savory and exactly what many Caribbean people want to see materialise as the islands become uniquely reconnected to the African continent.

At the Second CARICOM-Africa Summit, held at the African Union headquarters, leaders moved beyond symbolic language to agree on a draft communiqué that, if finalized, would anchor this partnership in practical action. While not yet officially published by the AU or CARICOM, the document points to an agenda that blends history with urgent twenty-first century priorities.

The draft outlines commitments to improve air and sea transport links, including the pursuit of a multilateral air services agreement to break down the barriers that still keep the Caribbean and Africa physically apart. It also calls for visa facilitation and simplified entry regimes, making it easier for citizens of both regions to travel, study, and work across the Atlantic.

Equally significant are pledges to advance double taxation treaties that could remove one of the most stubborn obstacles to investment. With Afreximbank’s Caribbean headquarters already established in Barbados and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) gaining momentum, leaders now want to lock in the financial and legal frameworks that will drive new business.

Reparatory justice also featured prominently, with the draft communiqué sharpening a joint call for coordinated advocacy. CARICOM’s long-standing Reparations Commission is expected to work more closely with African institutions to demand global recognition and redress for the shared traumas of slavery and colonial exploitation.

CARICOM’s incoming chair, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis, captured the spirit of the gathering when he urged that the Atlantic Slave Trade be reimagined as an “Atlantic Bridge — a bridge of hope, a bridge of advancement, a bridge that will ensure our people take their rightful place in this world.”

For Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, the meeting was a “homecoming,” but also a reminder that concrete steps like the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC) and improved transportation links are needed to transform rhetoric into results.

For citizens back home, wrestling with inflation and economic uncertainty, the Addis outcomes — transport, visas, investment, health, and reparations — are precisely the kinds of measures that can validate leaders’ journeys and rekindle faith in South-South cooperation. What was once only rhetoric now hints at the beams of an Atlantic Bridge, connecting the Caribbean and Africa in ways that could finally turn history’s tragedy into tomorrow’s advantage.