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JDF to establish base in Wareika Hill, St Andrew

Published:Thursday | March 17, 2022 | 4:32 PM
Prime Minister Andrew Holness speaking in the House of Representatives on March 17, 2022. - Rudolph Brown photo.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness this afternoon announced that the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is to establish a special operations base on 100 acres of land in Wareika Hill, St Andrew as part of strategic efforts to control the mountain range.

The area is a known thoroughfare for gangs.

Holness said that the transfer to the JDF was done last week.

He said the JDF continues to be critical to the country's security, noting that the government has been expanding the army's capabilities.

Holness said that the setting up of the new base forms part of strategic plans to increase security in the country's land domain and is in response to the growing trend of criminals establishing camps in remote locations.

He noted that these criminals launch attacks from these locations on communities and then escape back to the remote areas.

The JDF will be expanding its patrol, surveillance and presence in remote and inaccessible areas across Jamaica, Holness stressed.

He said the Wareika Hills base is the first of many to come.

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