THE United States’ top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has announced major plans to help improve the security situation in Jamaica.
Since the start of this year Jamaica has recorded a 34 per cent decline in murders compared to the corresponding period last year, with a 19 per cent decline in all major crimes, which Rubio noted and described as impressive.
THE United States’ top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has announced major plans to help improve the security situation in Jamaica.
Since the start of this year Jamaica has recorded a 34 per cent decline in murders compared to the corresponding period last year, with a 19 per cent decline in all major crimes, which Rubio noted and described as impressive.
But with the fear of crime remaining high across the island, Rubio emerged from bilateral talks with Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness in Kingston on Wednesday to announce that the US wants to do more to assist in the fight against crime.
According to Rubio, it is acknowledged that many of the guns used to commit crimes in Jamaica are purchased in the US and shipped here.
“We want to commit to doing more to stopping that flow at the same time as we commit to increasing the capacity [of Jamaica].
“What we are talking about here when we talk about American assistance is America helping Jamaica build its own capacity, its own ability to confront these challenges and solve these problems, because security is a baseline for everything,” said Rubio.
The secretary of state also announced that the Joint Operations for the Logistics and Technology (JOLT) Fusion Centre — a collaborative effort between US and Jamaican law enforcement agencies which tackles lottery scamming and cybercrime — will be strengthened.
“We can announce synthetics detection equipment for Jamaica’s forensic labs, a counter-gang recruitment programme that we seek to launch as a result of our visit here today. And I will announce something that I think is very important — software for law enforcement [agencies] here in Jamaica to combat gangs. Things like night vision goggles technology, and we look to do more,” declared Rubio after earlier saying that the US is committed to strengthening ties with Jamaica, one of Washington’s most steadfast partners in the Caribbean.
