WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — If Minister of National Security Robert Montague has his way, funds in the next budget earmarked for the purchase of new motor vehicles for the Jamaica Constabulary Force will be instead used to buy “deportees”.

“I know that people will criticise me … I have already asked the Permanent Secretary that the money that will be given for motor vehicles in the next budget, we are going to buy some used cars because you can get four used cars for [the price of] one new car,” Montague argued

“A police car lasts an average of 30 months because police cars not supposed to rest. It must work and work and work. Mr Dwayne Vaz [Central Westmoreland MP] would say working, working, working”.

He explained that the concept is to significantly increase the fleet of motor vehicles available to the island’s cops.

“So I have asked the permanent secretary to investigate so that rather than buying 100 new cars, we can get 400 used cars. And if a taxi man can take a deportee and it last him for 10 years, the police can take a deportee and it last them for three years.

“But what it means is that it gets the police mobile,” the security minister remarked.

He was speaking Monday evening at a town hall meeting at the Sean Lavery Faith Hall along Lewis Street in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

The meeting is the first of several expected to be hosted across the country by the security ministry.

Horace Hines