Law Enforcement Torch Run In Full Swing

With the 2026 Law Enforcement Torch Run in full swing, the torch has now been handed over to the parish of Portland where it will spend two days before being passed to St. Mary.

The handover took place on May 6 at the border of St. Thomas and Portland and saw members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) and others making the exchange of the ‘Flame of Hope’.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run is a fundraiser to support the country’s Special Olympians. Through it, a lit torch is carried through all parishes by law-enforcement officers, who then lead a donation drive across communities to raise funds.

The handover of the torch involves an actual run. The activity was launched on April 24, when Commissioner of Police, Dr. Kevin Blake, handed the torch to the St. Andrew North Division.

From there, the torch has gone through all the police divisions in Area 4. The Kingston East Division handed over the torch to the St. Thomas Division on May 5.

Commanding Officer of the Portland Division, Superintendent Ainsley McCarthy, after receiving the torch from his St. Thomas counterparts, told JIS News that the “Law Enforcement Torch Run has been a part of the JCF for a number of years. What we do is provide funds for our special needs athletes to go to the Olympics”.

The last staging of the Law Enforcement Torch Run in Jamaica was in 2023.

“It is good to be back. The support for our special needs athletes is always good. These are people that are often overlooked but the JCF has seen it fit, along with our counterparts, the other government agencies, to step to the fore to ensure that our country is represented on the international stage by these athletes. It’s a good feeling to be able to support a worthy cause,” Superintendent McCarthy said.

Other partners of the Law Enforcement Torch Run include the Jamaica Customs Agency, the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency, the National Council on Drug Abuse, and the Department of Correctional Services.

They hope to raise $5 million to offset expenses for athletes attending the Special Olympics World Games and for continued funding of training and resources when they return.

Jamaica is the first nation outside of the United States to adopt the Torch Run and has, to date, contributed an estimated $30 million towards preparing and sending athletes to international games.

A part of the festivities includes the staging of six concerts across the island. These are aimed at entertaining the communities, while donations are being sought. The first concert was held on May 1 at Big Tree in Kingston Central. The next concert is on May 9 at the Giant Family Mart Car Park in St. Mary.