KINGSTON, Jamaica – Since the start of the year, the Government has invested more than $500 million in modern technology for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Horace Chang, said the investment has significantly improved the tools available to officers, ensuring they are better equipped, more connected, and more efficient.

“It does reduce, in many ways, the tension between the community and the police. There is the whole culture of the difficulty of getting evidence in serious cases, but when they are aware that we have quality, scientific evidence, we get less attack on the police,” he said.

He was addressing the opening of the Denham Town JamaicaEye Monitoring Centre, at the Denham Town Police Station in Kingston, recently.

The facility is the ninth JamaicaEye monitoring centre operating in the island. All the facilities will feed into the C5 Centre, which will serve as the central hub for managing surveillance, dispatch and national security data.

Chang noted, too, that the new Forensic Pathology Autopsy Suite will be opened shortly.

It is expected to increase the forensic capacity of the JCF and reduce the backlog of criminal and other cases. It is also expected to bolster the work of the Institute for Forensic Science and Legal Medicine.

Meanwhile, Chang said the Government will continue to invest in the country’s security apparatus and build a safer Jamaica, adding that the investment and the hard work of the men and women of the force have contributed to the significant reduction in murders.

The country is experiencing a 44 per cent reduction in murders, compared to the corresponding period in 2024.

“The work of the police is not easy, but as they acquire the tools and as we strengthen the legislation, we find that they are responding very well; they have demonstrated a high level of professionalism and we are getting the results,” the minister said.

He emphasised that the Government is serious about public safety and has taken decisive action to protect lives and livelihoods.

“We are building a national security architecture that is smarter, more responsive, and more connected to the needs of our communities,” Chang said.

He thanked the dedicated men and women of the JCF who continue to serve with courage and professionalism.

–         JIS