Caribbean News
JAMAICA: Special Reward For Information Relating To Crimes Against Children, Elderly
#Kingston, November 1, 2018 – Jamaica – The Ministry of National Security has expanded its partnership with Crime Stop to include a special reward scheme to improve investigations of murders of the country’s most vulnerable, especially children and the elderly.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, said that this added incentive is intended to encourage more persons to come forward with useful information “to assist with the investigations, arrest and successful prosecutions of the guilty parties”.
Crime Stop is a partnership of the community, the police and the media that is designed to involve the public in the fight against crime.
The initiative encourages the public to give information by offering a cash reward and total anonymity for information that leads to an arrest, recovery of stolen property or the seizure of illegal drugs or guns.
Dr. Chang, who was making a statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 30), decried the recent spate of attacks on vulnerable persons, and assured that the Government is stepping up measures to nab perpetrators of such crimes. He noted that while there is a 29 per cent decline in the overall number of children murdered when compared to last year, “the attacks on these vulnerable groups appear to be more heinous and barbaric and are cause for grave concern to the Government”.
A total of 38 children have been killed since the start of the year.
Dr. Chang said the National Security Ministry is on a drive to bolster police investigations in these matters.
“We know that while we would prefer preventative measures to deter perpetrators, there is also a need for measures to guarantee that a perpetrator will be caught if he commits a crime,” he said.
Dr. Chang noted that the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime (C-TOC) Branch and the Criminal Investigative Branch (CIB) with the support of the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), will bring increased focus to investigating these incidents to identify and apprehend individuals associated with these heinous acts.
“These branches will work with the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA), which will be strengthened to adequately investigate crimes against these vulnerable groups,” he said.
Dr. Chang said the Government is also strengthening the legal framework to provide greater protection to women, children and the elderly as well as to strengthen the legal authority to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“It must be that where offences are committed, we have severe penalties that act as deterrents to these crimes. Justice must be swift, sure and severe,” he asserted.
In this regard, Dr. Chang noted that a Joint Select Committee of Parliament has recently concluded deliberations on a suite of laws, namely the Sexual Offences Act, the Domestic Violence Act, the Child Care and Protection Act and the Offences Against the Person Act.
“At the heart of this review was the special emphasis placed on the protection of the vulnerable… . A number of submissions were made by members of the public and various government and non-governmental organisations to the joint select committee, which is now compiling a report to be submitted to Parliament,” he indicated.
In the meantime, Dr. Chang appealed for the assistance of well-thinking Jamaicans in bringing criminals to justice who carry out vicious attacks on the nation’s most vulnerable.
“We again encourage Jamaicans to come forward and stand up for what is right. No one with information that could lead to the arrest of any criminal should remain silent. The police are depending on the cooperation of all Jamaicans to come forward to assist us in this fight,” he said.
Release: JIS
Contact: Alecia Smith
Photo Caption: Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, highlights a point while making a statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 30).
Photographer: Adrian Walker
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
May 2, 2024 – The Latin America and Caribbean region is projected to see slower economic growth for 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a report published on April 19.
Growth, the organization says, is expected to slow to 2 percent down from 2.3 percent compared to 2023 and this is due to weaker external environments, specifically the trade side, as well as the effects of strict policies put in place to tame inflation, which are still in the process of solidifying. 
This may come across as bad news but Rodrigo Valdes, Director Western Hemisphere Department IMF Moderator, in a video press briefing assured that it isn’t.
“We see risk around this baseline projection as broadly balanced. This is not, as we saw this in the past, this is good news, and this reflects basically more balanced global risks,” he maintained.
Considering all of this, Valdes expressed that the region has shown great resilience over the past few years since the pandemic rebound, which he says has been “stronger than expected.”
Valdes spoke to labor markets being in good standing as well as unemployment which remains at historical Lows.
In continuation, he says inflation is receding throughout the region and is expected to contour to fall for the rest of the year. Rodrigo Valdes further expressed this is thanks to timely action by regional central banks and of the global disinflation trends.
“Risks to inflation have also become more balanced than in the past although it’s still [tilde] to be more persistent or higher than these expectations that it’s going down,” he added.
KINGSTON, April 24 (JIS):
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has declared Jamaica a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) island with a vision of fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and empowering citizens to thrive in the global knowledge economy.
“Through our collaborative all-hands-on-deck approach, Government, private sector, academia and civil society, we will work towards this goal. Jamaica is now officially declared a STEM island,” he said.
Prime Minister Holness was addressing the Future Ready International Conference held at the University of Technology (UTech) in Kingston on April 24.
As a STEM island, he said that the Government will seek to implement comprehensive education reforms from the primary to the tertiary levels, with the objective of developing a skilled workforce, capable of competing in global markets.
He said that ecosystems will be developed to encourage startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the STEM disciplines to drive industry and economic growth, as well as to address social issues.
“We will encourage the growth of STEM industries such as biotechnology, information technology and advanced manufacturing. We will also leverage STEM to grow and monetise the musical, artistic, cultural and other natural talents of our people. We will leverage STEM solutions to address environmental challenges including climate change, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture,” the Prime Minister said.
“We will position Jamaica as a hub for STEM research, innovation, collaboration and other developments in the Caribbean and beyond,” he added.
The Prime Minister said that by embracing STEM as a national priority, Jamaica will unlock its full potential driving prosperity, peace and productivity in a sustainable, equitable way for all our Jamaican citizens and, indeed, the world,” Holness said.
-
Latin America and Caribbean1 week agoRegional SDGs Update
-
Bahamas News1 week agoEnvironment State-Minister updates ‘Our Ocean’ forum on The Bahamas as SIDS leader in sustainable tourism
-
Crime1 week agoFollowing Court ruling, US Embassy Doubles Down on Warning: DO NOT TRAVEL TO TCI WITH GUNS, AMMO
-
Bahamas News6 days agoPacesetting Cohort of Eleuthera Residents Graduate from Leading Light Programme
-
Bahamas News7 days agoNassau Cruise Port Donates Nearly $2 Million Towards Food Security
-
Caribbean News1 week agoRBC appoints new Head of Caribbean Banking
-
News1 week ago
“Mad Max” Convicted of Murder
-
Health6 days agoIncreased cases of Chicken Pox Prompts Ministry of Health and Human Services Response