Among the list of policy enhancements to be enacted by the end of 2021 is the National Offender Management Policy, which according to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Courtney Williams, will play a significant role in reducing Jamaica’s rate of recidivism.

The We Transform Mentorship Programme in partnership with the Crime Prevention and Community Safety Unit of the Ministry of National Security will be expanding its operations in twelve (12) volatile communities across Kingston.

Under the expanded programme, mentors will be paired with at-risk youth (mentees) in the targeted communities with the aim of imparting valuable life skills and fostering increased emotional and social development of the youth.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang strongly condemns all forms of violence and abuse against the nation’s children.

He said that while children are being coerced by gangs from an early age, it would be usual that they seek and receive protection from the adults in their lives but noted that in those places where they should be protected (at home and in the church), they are being traumatized, assaulted and victimized.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang says “emphasis should be placed on therapeutic jurisprudence as an alternative for incarceration for persons who may have a drug problem”.

The Minister made the declaration shortly after signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a three-year extension of the Drug Treatment Court Programme. The MOU is executed among the Ministries of Health and Wellness, Justice and National Security as well as the National Council on Drug Abuse.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says it will take time for the full effect of the government’s crime fighting strategy to be realised, noting that defeating violence producers and organised crime is at the forefront of the government’s efforts.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the government will continue to pursue the necessary strategic investments, legislative amendments and social development needed to improve citizen security and public safety.

He made the point in his statement to Parliament today, while seeking an extension to the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO).

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, has expressed satisfaction with transformation work in Mount Salem, St. James, describing it as a model community for transformation through Zones of Special Operation (ZOSO).

The minister made the declaration at the official opening of the rehabilitated Mount Salem Police Station in Montego Bay, St. James this afternoon.

The Mount Salem community was first declared as a Zone of Special Operation in 2017.

July 8, 2021

Government Monitoring Haiti’s Political Instability

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang is allaying fears that Haiti’s political instability in the aftermath of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, could cause further security implications for Jamaica.

The construction of the Olympic Gardens Police Station by the National Housing Trust (NHT), signals a major shift in the thinking of national security as it highlights that public safety and good order is a critical part of community development.

This was outlined by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, at the official opening of the newly constructed Olympic Gardens Police Station in Kingston Yesterday (June 30, 2021).

New perimeter fencing, digital courtrooms and increased water storage are just a few of the most recent investments made in the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) by the Government of Jamaica under Project Rebuild, Overhaul and Construct (P-ROC). This according to Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, who visited the Horizon Adult Remand Centre and the Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Remand Centre, yesterday.