MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang says with the police issuing more tickets than before, the new digitised traffic ticketing system “is working very well.”

Minister Chang was addressing the University of Technology (UTech), Western Jamaica Campus Business Conference, at Sandals Montego Bay in St James last Thursday.

According to a release on Monday, Chang noted that since January of this year, the police have issued more traffic tickets than they did in the similar period last year.

“This reinforces the fact that the police are doing their job,” the Minister said, adding that this is expected to help reduce crashes on the roads. The end-to-end digitised ticketing system went live in February of last year. As part of this simplified process, tickets are issued using a handheld device, which makes the information immediately available to the relevant stakeholders.

In addition to the printout, the motorist receives an electronic version of the ticket via email. Motorists can also examine their traffic tickets on the Traffic Ticket Web look-up portal, which allows them to check the status of their tickets, print their records and use this to attend court.

“We have adopted a policy to really digitise the police force and make it more efficient, more user-friendly and more conducive to the professionals who enforce the law,” Chang pointed out, revealing that according to research, the island has been inspiring other police forces in the region to go the digital route.

As part of the digitisation process, the Station Records Management System was rolled out in 2022, which facilitates electronic recording of reports, complaints and administrative entries by the police. This system replaces the ‘big books’ that are normally used at police stations to input information manually.

The Minister said that the recently opened Hopewell Police Station in Hanover is the best example in the western region of the system’s effective implementation. The Conference was organised by UTech’s Western Campus 2023-2024 Seminar Group and held under the theme ‘Digital Transformation and Workforce Readiness’.

During the event, business leaders and other stakeholders presented on the theme.