KINGSTON, Jamaica — Businesses in downtown Kingston were the target of a multi-agency operation on Wednesday aimed at ensuring that they are compliant with the country’s laws.

During the walk-through, members of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) were observed instructing store owners who were visibly in violation of certain building codes.

The walk-through was led by the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) and included the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Tax Administration Jamaica, the Public Health Department and National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) among other authorities.

Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby told journalists that approximately 68 per cent of businesses checked at the time were in possession of the requisite trade licenses.

“There is a 32 per cent that we have to target to make sure that they are compliant,” Swaby said.

He noted, too, that the NSWMA checked whether the businesses had a valid contract with a reputable waste disposal provider.  Approximately half of the businesses checked were found to be compliant.

“I am particularly pleased that of the number of establishments visited so far, a good 50 per cent are compliant,” Audley Gordon, executive director of the NSWMA, said. “We still see a number of persons who are not compliant but what was heart-warming was that they were willing to get compliant so we have teams entering into contracts with people.”

But with that said, Swaby and Gordon highlighted a language barrier between the authorities and several business owners in the area, noting that it was hindering communication.  Gordon suggested that some owners are using their inability to effectively communicate as an excuse to not get their houses in order.

“I must say that we have encountered quite a bit of belligerence where people are not prepared to talk openly to us. I’m not attacking any particular ethnicity or anything but just to say that some of the language that we encountered are obviously not Jamaican language and so it’s difficult to communicate with them,” Gordon said, adding that, “sometime, we get the feeling too that they use that as an advantage to not be forthcoming.”

However, Swaby assured that the agencies responsible for regulating businesses will not relent in their efforts to achieve total compliance.