Government continued to strengthen measures to protect the country’s borders, while undertaking programmes and initiatives to empower the population, particularly young people.
• JDF got an additional offshore patrol vessel- His Majesty’s Jamaican Ship (HMJS) Norman Manley to boost maritime security and the blue economy.
• The JDF welcomed 392 new members, comprising 314 males and 78 females.
• Government allocated $3.1 billion in the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure to facilitate the procurement of radar, marine offshore patrol vessels, cameras, software, hardware, and other equipment.
• The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) strengthened its digitisation efforts with its new e-passport introduced in April.
• The fully digitised entry process (C5 Electronic Entry Portal), which affords arriving airline passengers greater ease through Customs, became operational.
• A US$2 million contract was signed with software solutions company Freshworks Limited to design and implement a passport customer relationship management (CRM) system.
• A new border security management system was acquired to better enable the entity to collect, process and analyse information on persons entering the country.
• 30 more immigration kiosks were installed.
Rehabilitation of Inmates
• Renovated Block B at the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre in Spanish Town was opened at a cost of $34.3 million.
• 11 new motor vehicles were added to the Department of Correctional Services’ (DCS) fleet, bringing the total to 107.
Youth Initiatives
• Musical instruments and sports gear were donated to the Irwin High School in St. James and Grange Hill High in Westmoreland.
• Fifty-four tablet computers were handed over to several schools under the We Trans- form Youth Empowerment Programme (WTYEP), in partnership with e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited (e-LJAM).
• JDF hosted CodeSprint-Cyber- thon, to empower young people to know more about cyber threats.