Brief history and overview of the Ports Security Corps

INTRODUCTION

THE PORTS Security Corps Limited (PSC) is the principal arm of Government providing security services to two of the country’s main revenue-earning sectors (airports and seaports).

BACKGROUND

In April 1989, the Government of Jamaica terminated the contracts of private security guard firms who were working at the airports, following the discovery of approximately 4,000lbs of marijuana in Miami on April 1, 1989. The marijuana was smuggled from the Donald Sangster International Airport on an Air Jamaica A-300 airbus. It became evident that the Private Security Companies were unable to deal with drug trafficking activities. As a result, the Government took the decision to form an ‘elite security corps’ separate from the Jamaica Defence Force and Jamaica Constabulary Force.

ORIGIN AND MANDATE

The immediate response was to put soldiers at the airports and seaports, with the phased relief of the soldiers by the PSC’s security officers for the long-term solution. The PSC was created on April 5, 1989, as a government agency under the then Ministry of Transport and Works, now Ministry Transport and Mining, but was coordinated by the Ministry of National Security with a mandate to conduct effective contraband and narcotics screening in the public interest. PSC is self-funded through rates charged for aviation and maritime security services to our clients/port operators. With technological advancements and the evolution of criminality, today the need for the Corps is even greater than 1989, which extends to, but not limited to, other services provided in the performance of our duties.

VISION

The vision of the PSC is to be repositioned and recognised as the main provider of aviation and maritime security, security management and advisory services for the ports of Jamaica, and to maximise our efficiency and profitability.

MISSION

The mission of the PSC is to provide security with the highest level of integrity through the development and deployment of a professional cadre of officers, in fulfilment of our mandate to protect our ports of entry and our export trade in the national interest, while sustaining the viability of the organisation.

CORE VALUE

At the Ports Security Corps, we have embraced a set of values – fairness, loyalty, accountability, integrity, respect, excellence and discipline – that serves as the basis for the organisation’s approach to conducting business. These values, remembered by the acronym FLAIRED, are engrained in all members of the Ports Security Corps and is our mantra in the professional execution of our duties.

GOVERNANCE

A board of directors oversees and guides PSC’s management and business by bringing valuable business and industry experience and perspectives to the organisation. The board focuses on management supervision matters, such as approval of high-level strategic decisions, nomination of senior and executive positions, general control of accounting and auditing, and such matters. The board keeps pace with the risks of business and other aspects of governance that requires a formal mechanism to enhance effectiveness.

LEADERSHIP

The PSC’s managing director and senior management team manage the daily operations, including the PSC’s workforce and the provision of contracted security screening services at the Jamaican airports and seaports. The executive management team devise high-level management strategies, employ creative thinking, and maximise the value of the Corps over the long run. The PSC shares responsibility for civil aviation and maritime security with several government departments and agencies, air carriers, sea carriers, airport and seaport operators.

CERTIFIED AVIATION SECURITY PROVIDER

The PSC was certified as an aviation security service provider on March 21, 2019, and is the only government agency responsible for providing security and safety services at our island’s airports, aerodromes and a number of major seaports.

ACHIEVEMENTS - IMPACTS AND CERTIFICATION

The contribution of the PSC over the past 30 years to maritime and aviation security has more than justified its creation in April 1989 to take control of the security environment and practically eliminate the movement of contraband and make Jamaican ports drugfree. The Corps has clearly taken this responsibility seriously and today, even the sceptics should agree that the men and women of the PSC have acted with a great degree of professionalism, which has led to their success and recent certification as an aviation security provider on March 21, 2019.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

This year marks the Corps’ 30th anniversary, which was commemorated by a month of celebrations commencing on April 5 with a fun/ sports day, April 14 with church service, and culminating on April 20 with the Long Service Awards Banquet honouring a number of senior stalwarts who have served 25 years and over, as well as past