FROM perilous encounters while securing Jamaica’s most dangerous criminals at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre, to chasing poachers in the island’s territorial waters, members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) were kept busy executing their duties last year.

In fact, recent stomachchurning encounters with faeces-wielding inmates, and high-speed pursuits of pirates on the Caribbean Sea, were probably the least dangerous of the 45,000,000 man-hours served by the military last year.

More hazardous duties included partnering with the police to tackle the island’s more than 200 gangs, detecting and destroying drugs and other contraband, as well as casualty evacuation operations. More than 180 lives were also saved in the execution of deadly search and rescue missions. The JDF’s operations resulted in the removal of 38 weapons, 1166 rounds of ammunition, and 36 magazines from the nation’s streets; the destruction of more than J$429-billion worth of marijuana, as well as the seizure of 230 pounds of cocaine. The statistics were shared with the Sunday Observer last week by Captain Basil Jarrett, JDF civil/military cooperation and media affairs officer.

“2011 was a challenging year for the JDF but despite the challenges we were still able to achieve a significant amount of success in the tasks that we were assigned. This is a part of our legacy and reputation to always achieve despite the challenges,” said Jarrett, noting that the JDF is not expecting any ease in their tasks this year, and is nonetheless prepared for the duties at hand.

“This year we celebrate 50 years of existence and I think the theme that we have chosen, ‘Always steadfast’, is quite appropriate looking back at last year and the year before,” he continued.

The resolve of which Jarrett spoke was reflected in a 15-minute video captured by closed-circuit cameras inside the high-security section of the Horizon Adult Remand Centre in Kingston. The footage showed JDF soldiers exercising great restraint while being fought, cursed and doused with faeces and urine by eight of the island’s most notorious gangsters.

The video was shown as part of the JDF’s defence after the inmates complained via letter to the Supreme Court about routine abuse. The challenges were no easier at sea, Jarrett outlined. There, members of the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard (JDFCG) have been relentlessly battling the elements to prevent poachers — primarily those from Honduras — from stealing Jamaica’s marine resources.

“The JDF Coast Guard… carried out a number of maritime law-enforcement operations aimed at protecting Jamaican fisheries and wildlife, and guarding against human trafficking violations. The unit closed out 2011 with 1221 maritime law-enforcement operations and boarded 274 vessels that were suspected of being involved in fisheries violations, said Jarrett.

Jarrett revealed that last year the JDFCG seized four illegal fishing vessels and four go-fast boats.

Commander David Chin-Fong, acting commanding officer of the JDFCG, explained that “the issue of illegal fishing continues to be a growing problem in Jamaican waters as foreign fishermen who have depleted their fishing resources in their home country are now turning to Jamaica as the next viable option”. He promised renewed vigilance toward curtailing the practice in 2012.

The coast guard identified the Pedro Bank, about 80 miles south of Jamaica, as the area most frequented by the illegal fishers. Conch and lobster are the crooks’ main targets, Chin-Fong revealed.

In 2011, the JDF recovered approximately 2700 pounds of illegally fished lobster and over 200 pounds of conch. They did this despite difficulties detecting the perpetrators, and an inability to conduct frequent long-range maritime patrols because of a lack of resources and a helicopter fleet that is not suited to that type of work.

Though the JDFCG could not immediately say how many persons were nabbed while stealing fish from Jamaican waters, they explained that once arrested fish thieves were charged with violating the Fisheries Act, and if found guilty, asked by the court to pay the necessary fines. In some cases, vessels and equipment have been forfeited, the coast guard chief explained.

Illegal fishing has in the past strained relationships between Jamaica and Honduras, following numerous arrests of Honduran violators.

Among the more controversial were the arrest and detention of 28 Hondurans in January last year. Then, the JDFCG was accused of firing indiscriminately to stop a boatload of Honduran fishermen who were trespassing in Jamaican waters. No one was injured, however. The year before, the coast guard arrested 48 Hondurans, including two minors who were caught fishing in Jamaican waters. On both occasions the offenders pleaded guilty when they appeared in local courts.

In the meantime, the JDF Air Wing last year conducted more than 90 hours of flying in support of government agencies and organisations, while the JDF’s Engineer Regiment loaned their support toward a number of government infrastructure projects — among them the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Ammunition Bunker on Elletson Road in Kingston; the Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre in downtown Kingston; and the Falmouth Police Station.

According to Lieutenant Colonel David Cummings, commanding officer 1 Engineer Regiment, the Falmouth project “is a major national undertaking for the JDF, given the important developments taking place in the town of Falmouth, and will go a long way in helping the JCF to establish a strong policing presence in the town.”

In addition, the Jamaica Military Band and the Jamaica Regiment Band collectively served more than 26,664 manhours conducting ceremonial duties, including the opening of Parliament.

This year the JDF’s ceremonial roles will be far more prominent, said Jarrett, citing tomorrow’s visit by His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, a number of celebrations to commemorate Jamaica’s 50th anniversary, and the Jamaica Military Tattoo 2012 — to be held in June — among the list of activities.