KINGSTON, Jamaica – Another 1,000 body-worn cameras will be procured for members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) during the 2023/24 fiscal year, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang

A body-worn camera is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system used to document images of activities.

Making his contribution to the 2023/24 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Dr Horace Chang informed that 400 cameras have been deployed.

“We see the body cameras not as a challenge for the police force but as a means of ensuring that the police officers will have the second eye that will relieve a lot of our police officers from false accusations… . it’s a protective mechanism,” he explained.

Chang said the current police uniforms support wearing the body cameras.

Meanwhile, he pointed out that the adoption of geospatial technology within the force has allowed the executive management and commanders to make more data-driven decisions, identify crime hotspots and help to guide the strategic deployment of resources.

“We are developing a data-driven decision room. We will be the most modern police force in the region, and we will win the war against the criminal terrorists. We will find them, prosecute them and lock them up. If they attack my police officers, [these officers] are well trained and are capable of protecting themselves,” Chang said.