New approach to ensuring security
There is immense potential and opportunity for Jamaica to be a safe country.
THE ROLE of every security organisation in post-independent Jamaica is to provide a safe and secure environment for its citizens, as our Constitution says, “The State has an obligation to promote universal respect for and observance of human rights and freedoms.”
Citizen security and public safety are recognised as cornerstones of ongoing national development, creating a critical foundation for economic growth and social opportunities. Security and safety of our people should be seen by all as both a core developmental goal and as an essential precondition for the delivery of other developmental goals.
On December 1, 2016, Cabinet took a step that had been recommended in the 2007 National Security Policy, and enabled the prime minister, in his role as minister of defence, to be supported by a national security advisor (NSA). The role of the NSA has different areas of focus in different countries across the world, and in Jamaica, we are tailoring the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) to strategically meet and anticipate our unique domestic, regional and international security considerations. The NSA will focus on strategic security initiatives, including the development and monitoring of policies and the coordination of programmes that will have a long-term and impactful effect in improving citizen security and public safety.
ROLE OF THE OFFICE
The ONSA will provide, inter alia, coordination across the country’s security apparatus and operations; act as the principal channel of communication between the prime minister and the intelligence community; advise the prime minister on current and perceived threats to national security and public order, and give support to the National Security Council. The ONSA will also be responsible for updating the National Security Policy for Jamaica in accordance with the changes in the strategic landscape, and shaping a new national security system that is involving a civil society that is aware of, and that participates in, its own security.
There is immense potential and
opportunity for Jamaica to be a safe country. The requirement for substantial improvements in some areas related to crime and violence is recognised, and addressing these challenges have been a priority for the Government with the alignment of all the agencies that provide security services.
As the 2016-2017 and the 2017-2018 Estimates of Expenditure show, the Government has increased its spending on national security and social security, and this should be seen as a recognition of the urgency for immediate interventions to address the current issues of violent crime in