Building a Better Jamaica

Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Jamaica Observer

PRIME Minister Bruce Golding says the Government will be implementing more rigid measures to tackle the country's high rate of crime.

Jamaica House, in a statement issued after meeting with representatives from several Government agencies and international development partners yesterday, said new legislative measures and actions to tackle the country's crime problems would be outlined in Parliament next week.

"We are going to get tough. We might offend the sensitivity of certain groups but the security of the country cannot be compromised," the Jamaica House statement quoted the prime minister.

Golding said the new measures were necessary and needed to be quickly implemented in order to be effective.

"We have a crime problem that's the second highest in the world and so we need a strong, decisive national security strategy," said Golding.

So far, almost 800 persons have been murdered since the start of the year, although the monthly murder toll has decreased since May when 199 persons were killed.