Bunting advocates for reintroduction of Stay Alert App
Published:Saturday | June 8, 2024 | 12:10 AMEdmond Campbell/Senior Staff Reporter
Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate Peter Bunting has suggested that the Government take steps to reintroduce the Stay Alert App as a means of alerting law enforcement when persons are faced with danger or emergency situations.
During a debate on the Interception of Communications (Amendment of First Schedule) Order, 2024 in the Upper House yesterday, Bunting said the Ministry of National Security in 2013 introduced the Stay Alert App which carried a panic button feature that could be set off whenever someone is in danger.
He said the Stay Alert App would have been useful to assist, for example, the teacher who was abducted and her body later found in Clarendon.
He said law enforcement personnel would have been able to track her whereabouts once the panic button was triggered.
Noting that the app was available to the public free of charge, Bunting urged the Government to consider the reintroduction of this safety measure to assist Jamaicans who may find themselves in emergency situations and need urgent help.
Responding to Bunting’s suggestion, Leader of Government Business in the Senate Kamina Johnson Smith said the Stay Alert App had deficiencies and there was very little take-up of the service. She said it was also discontinued because the costs exceeded the benefits.
However, she acknowledged that the Stay Alert App was an “absolutely good idea”, and could be revisited by the Ministry of National Security. She said with greater mobility to respond and increased capacity with Jamaica Eye as well as greater digital literacy, the ministry could consider its feasibility.
Johnson Smith, who led the debate on the Interception of Communications Order, said it provides for the issuance of warrants for the interception of communications sent by means of the telecommunications networks.
She told her fellow senators that the Interception of Communications legislation serves as a critical tool in the fight against serious and organised crime in Jamaica in which firearms feature significantly.
According to Johnson Smith, data show that in 2022 about 85 per cent of murders and 80 per cent of robberies nationally involved the use of firearms.
“This amendment to the Interception of Communications Act removes the reference in the First Schedule to the old Firearms Act 1967 and substitutes same with the new Firearms Prohibition Restriction and Regulation Act 2022,” she explained.
Johnson Smith said the amendment was necessary to enable authorised officers to apply to a judge in chambers for a warrant authorising the interception of communications of persons to prevent or detect offences under the firearms legislation.
Bunting noted that in the last five to 10 years the interception of communication has become complex due to technological advancement.
“What we need now is a thorough overhaul of the Interception of Communication Act that will allow it to properly address the challenges,” he said.