July 8, 2016
Kingston, Jamaica:
The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) supports the position of the JHTA that a State of Emergency should not be the immediate response to the current crime situation affecting the western side of the island. The PSOJ agrees that such action could cause significant short term impact, as well as have a lingering long term effect on the tourism industry, which we can ill afford given our fragile economic situation.
The PSOJ further calls on the government to deploy the necessary resources to see to the implementation of the appropriate technology, and other crime fighting solutions, which will result in effective policing and social development, not only in the west, but across the island.
William Mahfood, PSOJ President, states that, “For too long we have been grappling with this crime problem, which it is well known robs the country of at least 4 percent of GDP each year, when we have been starved for much needed growth. It is time that the government finally demonstrates that it has the political will, and the interest of Jamaicans at heart, and do what is necessary to implement short as well as long term solutions to this crime problem.” Mr. Mahfood further argued that, “the constant knee jerk reaction by our policy makers is unacceptable, when we all know that the social issues, as a result of our politics and corruption in the police force lies at the heart of our challenges.”
The PSOJ supports the call by the JHTA for technologies such as CCTV cameras and drones to be deployed across the island, and the appropriate systems be in place to properly utilize these technologies effectively, as the cost of these are significantly less than the GDP loss.
This would go a far way in solving the problem of human resource capacity in the police force and make policing much more effective.
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Contact: Ms. Kareen Cox, Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Email: kareenc@psoj.org
Tel: 927-6238 (Ext. 2052); Fax 978-2709