The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) mobility has been further bolstered by the handover of 59 vehicles for the organisation’s fleet.

The presentation was made Friday at a brief handover ceremony on the grounds of the Office of the Police Commissioner on Old Hope Road in St Andrew.

The for-for-purpose units, comprising 12 Mitsubishi Outlanders, 12 Kia Sorento Sport Utility Vehicles, four Toyota Hilux Pickups, one Toyota Hiace bus, and 30 motorcycles, are to be deployed to high-priority areas island-wide.

Deputy prime minister and Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, in his remarks, said the provisions underscore the government’s commitment to improve and expand the capacity of the police to restore public order and safety.

He added that the vehicles will also help to repair the citizens’ confidence in the JCF to serve and protect.

“With the motor vehicles provided, of course, that’s a critical part of policing because response time involves mobility, communication, and well-trained officers,” he said.

“The mobility gives us a level of reassurance and the confidence of citizens, who can see the response time of the police and see them very visible on the highways and the communities they’re in,” he added.

Police commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, said the motorcycles will primarily be used by the JCF’s quick response teams in major towns across the island to apprehend criminals.

“Our mobility is one the key pillars on which we operate. It’s critical in an environment where the persons who are doing the wrong things in society are very mobile,” he said.

“They are traversing the country and we also need to be able to move likewise and intercept them and engage them, as necessary,” he added.

Consequently, Anderson indicated that the for-for-purpose units will be deployed in the most efficient way possible to deal with the gaps that exist across the country, in terms of mobility.

Meanwhile, permanent secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Courtney Williams cited that additional vehicles are to be acquired for the JCF by the end of 2022.

– JIS