Dear Editor,

As an agency of the Government of Jamaica, whose mandate is to protect the ports of entry, the Ports Security Corps has secured the airports and seaports from its inception in 1989.

The Private Security Regulation Authority was set up to regulate the high number of organisations operating private security firms in Jamaica from 1992.

The legislative framework has Ports Security Corps as an executive body similar to Jamaica Customs and Passport, Immigration, and Citizenship Agency.

This agency is under the Ministry of Transport and Mining and wasn’t established by private individuals to safeguard the nation’s ports of entry. Therefore, this entity should move away from the Private Security Regulation Authority.

Ports Security Corps officers are sworn in as special district constables by the Jamaica Constabulary Force. It’s contradictory for them to be registered with the Private Security Regulation Authority.

Successive governments have failed to create a distinction between Ports Security Corps, as a State agency, from private security entities and so does not need to be regulated and licensed by the Private Security Regulation Authority of Jamaica.

Could the minister whose responsible for Ports Security Corps, Mike Henry, address this once and for all?

Doctor Dre

doctordre25@outlook.com