KINGSTON, Jamaica— Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, says that he is confident that the electronic Traffic Ticket Management System (TTMS) will be a positive addition towards the transformation and modernisation of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in carrying out its mandate to ensure public order and safety.

Minister Chang, along with newly appointed State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Zavia Mayne, Permanent Secretary Courtney Williams, Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson, as well as the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica president, Keith Duncan, and representatives from the National Road Safety Unit were on hand to observe the TTMS team in Half-Way-Tree on Wednesday.

“The idea for an electronic Traffic Ticket Management System was first mooted in 1988 and although it has taken some time to be fully operational, we believe this development will prove a success and another positive addition in the arsenal of the police in the execution of their duties,” Chang said.

The TTMS, is a centralised, web-based system that was introduced in September 2010 to improve the management of traffic tickets throughout the various stages from the point of being issued to an offender, to either being paid at the tax office or adjudicated in court.

The handheld ticketing software is part of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s continued transformation and modernisation thrust.

The e-Ticketing system was developed to eliminate 25 potential points of failure in the manual paper-based ticketing process. These points of failure resulted in scenarios where ticketing data was erroneous and in some cases outdated.

The new system will also guarantee that tickets and related information (warrants, demerit points, etc) in the TTMS will be accurate and readily available to support the efficient enforcement of fines and penalties to improve Public Order and Safety.

“Over the past three years, significant investments have been made and progress has been achieved with the enhancement of the technology and the ticketing processes. We envisage that this system will help to put an end to the undisciplined use of our roadways by motorists and help to usher in a decent, more caring motoring public,” stated Chang.

All the necessary hardware and software upgrades have been made available to the relevant agencies in order to facilitate a coordinated and streamlined approach.

Minister of State, Mayne, described the development as “fantastic” and a “game-changer”, as it gives “tangible evidence of the investment and direction of the Government in tackling major crimes and lesser offences alike”.

The full eTicketing pilot programme targeting Kingston and St Andrew was launched in December 2021 with 100 ruggedised, smart android devices and 100 portable printers which will give officers the ability to issue traffic tickets and reference driver and vehicle information including ticket history and outstanding tickets. The software was developed by eGov Jamaica through consultation with the Ministry of National Security and the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Technology Branch and Public Safety Branch.

In order to support the enforcement of Public Order and Safety operations through technology, the handheld ticketing software is integrated with the Government of Jamaica databases for driver’s licenses, motor vehicle registrations and vehicle insurance, allowing officers to check for expired licenses, insurance and registration and also giving officers real-time access to other internal JCF databases, such as persons of interest and stolen vehicle databases while in the field. 

The electronic ticketing system also offers improvements to the citizen’s experience by emailing a copy of the traffic ticket to the offender and making the ticket information immediately available to Tax Administration Jamaica allowing the offender to pay their traffic fines online.

All traffic tickets issued with these devices are instantly uploaded to the centralised TTMS database that is accessible by the JCF, The Traffic Courts, and all other government agencies that depend on accurate, timely traffic ticket information to fulfil their mandates.

In the less than two weeks since its launch, almost 1,000 e-tickets have been issued, and as a result of the seamless integration with other government databases, citizens have been able to pay their fines on the Tax Administration website within minutes after being issued with an e-ticket.