$50m fund for info on gangs
Garvey’s boyhood home set for monument status
Published:Tuesday | December 20, 2022 | 1:39 AM
A $50-million fund has been established to pay informants on gangs operating in Jamaica.
The intervention is aimed at countering an expected surge in crime as Christmas nears.
“We want to get people who are involved in contract killings, people who are planning to hijack stock and goods in transit, and people who are planning to rob supermarkets during the Christmas season and other business establishments,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said on Monday.
The prime minister was speaking in Seville Heights, St Ann, as he handed over two houses to two sisters who were relocated from the boyhood home of National Hero Marcus Garvey.
Addressing the state of emergency (SOE) imposed in St Ann on December 6, Holness said the security measure has allowed the police to detain more than 30 alleged criminals, two of whom have been charged for murder.
Two domestic murders were recorded in the parish during the SOE.
The crackdown, which was implemented in seven other parishes, expires at midnight on Tuesday.
The prime minister reiterated his commitment to ensure the safety of Jamaicans, warning that under the new Firearms Act, persons found guilty will be sentenced to a minimum of 15 years behind bars.
Meanwhile, the two houses presented to sisters Jacinth and Carla Johnson came 11 years after the Government first announced plans to acquire Garvey’s boyhood home in St Ann’s Bay. The aim was to establish a monument there in honour of the late pan-Africanist.
Holness said while the construction of the houses did not fulfil all requirements of the New Social Housing Programme, special arrangements were made to have the homes completed.
He challenged Culture Minister Olivia Grange to ensure that the monument for Garvey befits his stature.
Meanwhile, the sisters both expressed delight at the property handover.