Jamaica’s capacity to detect fraudulent travel documents has been enhanced with a donation of 150 ultraviolet inspection devices by the German Embassy here.

German Ambassador Jan Hendrik van Thiel and Stephan Kaldasch, document and visa adviser (German) federal police, made the presentation to the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) last Friday in keeping with the German Government’s collaboration with Jamaica on border security.

The donation was welcomed by PICA Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wynter who noted that it comes as Jamaica is moving into one of its high-travel periods, which usually sees an increase in applications for travel documents.

“Certainly, any equipment we can get to help detect document fraud will help,” Wynter told his German guests during the presentation ceremony at PICA’s Waterloo Road office, next door to the German Embassy.

He hailed the strengthening of relations between Jamaica and Germany, saying that it will assist with combatting organised crime.

Ambassador van Thiel expressed pleasure at being able to make the donation and added that training in the use of the equipment is being offered by his country.

He explained that the equipment can also be used in the field, and told Wynter as well as the other PICA executives in attendance that Kaldasch, who is based in Miami, Florida, will be the key man facilitating the training.

The idenTT Docu-Viewer is designed to make fast, mobile checks of secured documents. It basically magnifies images in passports and other travel documents, allowing immigration officers to check for fraud.

Kaldasch said the equipment has been in use, successfully, in Germany for more than a decade and gave Wynter; Deputy CEO, Operations Garth Williams; Director, Immigration Ezra Whittock; and Deputy Director, Immigration Marie Lue a demonstration.