National security has been a foremost priority for my Administration since assuming office in 2016. Consistent with that stance, we have invested in Jamaica’s security architecture at unprecedented levels — modernising our infrastructure, strengthening the legal framework, and building a professional, technology-driven police and military force.

The positive impacts of these investments are many, but none more tangible than the dramatic fall in homicides — down 42 per cent, compared to the same period last year. Importantly, the monthly rate continues to trend downwards.

This trend is the result of deliberate policy choices and disciplined fiscal commitment over the past nine years.

Every Government comes with the good intention to reduce crime, only this Administration has actually made the investment for a complete transformation of our security forces. We repaired and rebuilt police stations, supplied new vehicles, modernised air and sea border-control capabilities, expanded surveillance and improved intelligence. Of greater importance is the investment in people; we increased numbers in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), we improved recruitment, training operations, doctrine, and leadership.

Jamaica faced a growing institutionalisation of organised violence which we loosely referred to as ‘gangs’. Over the last 30 years these gangs acquired significant wealth, multinational connections, local influence, and had free reign to use violence in pursuit of profits. This situation rose to a level where their capacity to produce violence was over and above the capacity of the security forces to respond. The situation could only be described as a state of emergency — a clear and present danger, an existential threat that some leaders either didn’t understand or were intellectually dishonest to acknowledge.

The only way to address this was to make the executive decision to allocate resources to build up the capability and capacity of the security forces to overcome the institution of organised violence which had become rooted in our society.

I have seen articles and editorials suggesting that Government cannot take credit for the reduction in crime and violence. If we look past the blatant political bias in that narrative and focus on the facts, it should become clear, even to the blind partisan, that the reduction we are now seeing in crime overall is as a direct result of the Government’s investment in building out a more capable, capacitated, and sophisticated national security architecture. The figures do not lie.

In FY 2015/16, capital expenditure on national security was just $2.67 billion. In our first year, FY 2016/17, we nearly tripled it to $6.52 billion. By FY 2018/19, investment climbed to $12.72 billion, and in FY 2019/20 it peaked at $19.56 billion — over seven times that which we inherited. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, we sustained strong funding. This marks the most sustained and strategic investment in national security in Jamaica’s history.

These investments have not been ad hoc or reactive — they have been intentional, strategic, and guided by a clear vision. In 2017, we launched Plan Secure Jamaica, a comprehensive national security strategy designed to address the root causes of violence and strengthen the institutions that protect our people. Every step we have taken — from increasing capital expenditure to modernising infrastructure and enhancing intelligence — has been aligned with this plan. It is our blueprint for a safer, more secure Jamaica, and it continues to shape our priorities and actions to this day.

A key element of this blueprint is Project Rebuild, Overhaul and Construct (ROC), launched in 2019, which has upgraded or rebuilt a significant number of police stations across the country. Two new, state-of-the-art facilities have been commissioned in Lacovia and Frome, with Stony Hill, Little London, Spanish Town, and Anchovy underway. Moreover, electronic station records and case management systems are now live in 51 police stations.

For the first time in Jamaica’s history, the JCF boasts a modern, properly maintained vehicle fleet. Since 2016, we have procured 1,806 new police vehicles at a cost of $6.6 billion, supported by a digital fleet management system and recurring allocations to keep vehicles in service — ending the decades-old cycle of disrepair. The result: faster response times, broader patrol reach, and better public engagement.

These critical upgrades have strengthened the capacity and effectiveness of the police force, which has now, for the first time in Jamaica’s history, reached its full establishment of 14,000 officers. Since 2018, we have trained and deployed 6,000 recruits — made possible by the expansion and modernisation of training facilities at Twickenham Park, Tranquility Bay, Camp Verley, and Harman Barracks. The modernised training curriculum includes advanced investigations, tactical readiness, and intelligence analysis — skills needed for 21st-century policing.

The force’s intelligence capabilities have been further enhanced by the establishment of the JamaicaEye CCTV system in 2018/2019. The network has been instrumental in facilitating rapid responses to threats and supporting investigations. A further 2,500 cameras will be deployed across the island, creating a national grid of digital vigilance to ensure security in public spaces.

Just as important as the investments in personnel and infrastructure were the legislative reforms that supported them. We strengthened the anti-gang legislation enhancing gang prosecution tools, and passed the new Firearms Act in 2022, which introduced mandatory minimum sentences for illegal gun possession. And with the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) Act passed in 2017, we have been able to deploy sustained security operations in high-violence communities while simultaneously investing in infrastructure, services, and legitimate opportunities for residents.

Just as we have rebuilt the JCF from the ground up, we have also fundamentally restructured the JDF to improve its capacity in disaster response, maritime surveillance, cyber defence, and joint operations with the police in violence hotspots. Recognising the serious threat posed by porous borders, in addition to equipping the maritime and air capabilities of the JDF, we further integrated Jamaica Customs in the national security architecture and supported the entity with investments in scanning and detection capabilities at our ports. We are now having regular successes in detecting and seizing contraband and guns entering our borders.

The emerging domain of cyber warfare and crime prompted the establishment of a dedicated Military Cyber Corps and the development of early warning systems for cyber threats. This has improved our ability to detect, deter, and respond to domestic and transnational threats — be they cyber intrusions, information warfare, or critical infrastructure attacks. Many of these assets have been consolidated under the Maritime, Air, and Cyber Command, established in 2019.

Additionally, we have created the institutional framework to establish the Major Organised Crime & Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) along with significant resources to support its operations. MOCA has emerged as the premier anti-corruption, anti-racketeering, and cybersecurity law enforcement entity in the region.

To understand why Jamaica’s chronic violence is now finally subsiding after 30 years, one has to appreciate how all of the national security upgrades fit into a coherent plan that was set out nine years ago. Reducing violence required eroding violent criminal organisations. Now the security forces have the manpower and equipment to maximise their reach across the country. Now they have the intelligence collection and processing capabilities to bring individual violence producers to justice and the legislation to prosecute entire illicit organisations. Now, through ZOSOs, we have the capability to deny those groups the ability to control key areas of territory. And, now, it is more difficult for those groups to import weapons.

Our mission to eradicate gangs is not yet complete, but those remaining are feeling the squeeze and know their day is coming. We now have capacity superior to the “gangs”. Some only prayed for it, we prayed, planned, worked, and invested.

The transformation of our security forces did not happen overnight. It was achieved through deliberate investment, focused leadership, and the steadfast belief that Jamaica can and must overcome the grip of organised violence. The truth is there are no silver bullets — no easy or instant solutions to the complex challenges we face. But what this journey proves is that with strategic leadership, long-term commitment, and the disciplined use of resources, even our most difficult problems can be solved. That is the lesson for all Jamaicans: real progress is possible — not through wishful thinking and rhetoric, but through strategic, disciplined, and sustained action, where investment meets intention.

The fight against organised crime is far from over, and the progress we have made can easily be undone if we lose focus or abandon the current path. Let us choose to stay the course, consolidate the gains, and continue building a Jamaica where every citizen, in every parish, can live without fear. Choose policies that show the best results for a safe and secure Jamaica.

— Dr Andrew Holness is prime minister of Jamaica, minister of defence, and chairman of the National Security Council