The Government of Jamaica, through the Ministry of National Security and Peace, remains steadfast in its pledge to ensure that the nation’s evolving security architecture delivers tangible benefits to citizens, fostering lasting social and economic progress.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Peace, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang made the commitment while addressing the Security and Public Safety Plenary during the11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference on Tuesday (June 16). The Conference is being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James.
He emphasised that the Ministry’s peace-building efforts are anchored in the vision of advancing public safety as a pathway to greater prosperity, opportunity and national progress for Jamaicans at home and abroad.
“There is less blood on our streets, fewer families receiving devastating phone calls, and more communities beginning to experience a sense of normalcy. For the first time in decades, many Jamaicans are seeing what a safer country can look and feel like... It is a milestone worth celebrating, but one we must never take for granted,” Dr. Chang outlined.
The Security Minister further declared that “we will not become complacent. We will not retreat and we will not be soft on crime and disorder. The next step is not only reaping the peace dividend, but to ensure it is sustainable”.
He noted that delivering the peace dividend to communities through the transformation of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and investments in social intervention programmes such as the LIV GUD Anti-Violence Campaign will ensure sustainability of Jamaica’s security gains and will provide the ecosystem to give the reassurance for Jamaicans at home and abroad to live and retire in peace and good order.
“We have transformed our police force. Serious crimes are at a historic low. More illegal firearms are being removed from our streets. More offenders are being brought before the courts. More citizens are partnering with law enforcement to keep their communities safe. Our work is not finished... We will work in connection with communities and the various stakeholders to ensure we create a system that respects the rights of every single Jamaican” he explained.
The Security Minister reminded attendees that while it is the government’s responsibility to ensure these security gains become a lasting reality, security and public safety are not the responsibility of the police alone. They are a shared responsibility, requiring government, communities, businesses, and citizens working together toward a common goal.
Dr. Chang highlighted that Jamaica’s progress is evident in the increased recruitment and training of police officers, investment in mobility, equipment, technology and surveillance as well as the 33 per cent reduction in road fatalities as of April 2026. The reduction is as a result of the contributions of the Ticket Information Management System (TiMs) compared to the same period last year.
He stressed that the results you see today did not appear out of thin air “approximately 7,100 police officers were recruited and trained since 2018, since 2016 nearly 2,000 motor vehicles have been procured at a cost of approximately J $7.5 billion, the introduction of the state-of-the-art Forensic Pathology Autopsy Suite...the JamaicaEye national surveillance CCTV network is being expanded to 3,000 cameras over the medium term”.
In his closing remarks, Minister Chang shared that “in 2026 an additional 1,500 e-ticketing devices will be deployed to bring the national count to 10,000 and completing the JCF’s transition to digital traffic endorsement”.
The Ministry of National Security and Peace remains firm in its thrust to create a Jamaica where children can dream without fear, communities can thrive in peace and where hope is greater than fear.
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