Holness declares ‘decade of peace’ as Jamaica shifts crime strategy

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the country is entering what he described as a “decade of peace”, signalling a strategic shift from controlling crime to building a more peaceful society and protecting Jamaica’s global image.

Holness made the declaration during a recent address to Jamaica’s Heads of Mission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in downtown Kingston, outlining the Government’s plan to remove violence from the country’s international brand.

“I am determined that this will be the decade of peace in Jamaica,” Dr. Holness said.

“We must take out violence as an element of Brand Jamaica. When people do the word map of brand Jamaica, violence must not appear as one of the words associated with Jamaica,” he emphasised.

Holness noted that Brand Jamaica remains one of the most recognised globally but has increasingly been associated with violence over the past three decades. He warned that criminal activity undermines the country’s economic prospects, particularly when travel advisories are downgraded.

“You see it mostly when we get a downgrade in the travel advisories, which has immediate economic impact on tourism revenues and other activities,” he said.

The Prime Minister pointed to three consecutive years of declining homicides as evidence of progress and said the Government intends to push the numbers even lower.

“We have had three years of consistent reductions. We are going to focus on getting an even more significant reduction this year, and we are going to keep pushing that number as far down as we can get it,” he said.

Holness attributed the decline in part to the transformation and expansion of the country’s security apparatus beyond the Jamaica Constabulary Force. He said agencies such as the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), Jamaica Customs and the Jamaica Defence Force are now working in a coordinated manner.

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He also highlighted significant investments in intelligence gathering and surveillance capabilities to improve crime-fighting outcomes.

“So, we have better knowledge of what is happening and who are the people doing it… and we are targeting and we are having great results,” the Prime Minister stated.

Holness stressed, however, that reducing homicides alone does not equate to peace. He said the next phase of Government policy will focus on reducing the propensity for violence and addressing conflict resolution in communities.

“So, the next phase of government policy is to remove the intention, the propensity, the inclination to use ultimate violence… we are focused on crime, which is the actual use of violence to commit an act that is prescribed in law as a crime. Now, we have to treat with violence… we have to focus on eliminating violence as a first resort to the resolution of conflict in our society,” he said.

The Prime Minister indicated that the Government will soon begin implementing recommendations from the National Violence Prevention Commission, chaired by Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughan. The commission’s report proposes legislative reforms, institutional strengthening and a 10-year evidence-based national action plan to eliminate violence from Jamaican society.

“You will see a more targeted instrumental plan from the Government to treat with this issue of violence,” Holness pledged.

He also urged Jamaican diplomats and foreign service officers to highlight the country’s progress in improving safety and security when representing Jamaica overseas.