ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) – Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Senator Pearnel Charles Jr, says the Government will be allocating more resources to the St James police to tackle rising crime in the parish.

Addressing an International Peace Day ceremony in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay, on Wednesday, Charles said the Government is taking proactive action to deal with the issue.

“The administration will be deploying more resources to St James. Most of the new police recruits will be deployed there,” the state minister said.

Charles Jr emphasised that it will take the effort of every Jamaican to build a nation that is peaceful and one where laws are respected.

“If we are going to create a Jamaica that we want, we have to understand that it will not happen by chance; it will happen by choice. It is going to take a concerted effort for us to work together and to understand that it is the responsibility of every one of us,” he added.

International Peace Day was observed under the theme ‘Building Blocks for Peace’.

Several marching bands staged a Peace March from the Clock Tower on Barnett Street, at the Howard Cooke/Bevin Avenue intersection, along Gloucester Avenue and at the Overton Plaza, ending in Sam Sharpe Square where a rally was held.

International Peace Day came into existence through United Nations (UN) Resolutions in 1981 and 2001.The UN General Assembly declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.