ST CATHERINE, Jamaca — The Ministry of Justice will this afternoon commission 250 new justices of the peace in St Catherine, representing the largest cohort of people to be commissioned at a ceremony.

The commissioning will take place at the Portmore Seventh Day Adventist Church on Port Henderson Road in Portmore, St Catherine.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has committed to increasing the number of JPs to serve the public especially in communities where there is a serious shortage.

It has been recognised that there is a growing demand for the services of JPs and tomorrow’s activity is a decisive step towards filling the gap, the ministry said in a release.

Additionally, some 200 JPs will participate in a training exercise at the same venue to equip them to carry out a number of quasi-judicial functions.  

The training will allow them to settle disputes in their communities as they will work with residents to identify effective resolutions and thereby prevent contentious issues from going before the Courts.

This will go a far way to reduce the backlog in the court system, the ministry said.