Jamaica seeks stronger Americas security ties as clinics, demerits and harbour walk advance

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Peace Dr. Horace Chang has renewed Jamaica’s push for tighter hemispheric teamwork against transnational crime, arguing that Latin America and the Caribbean must reinforce collective security and self-reliance as global threats evolve.

Representing Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Dr. Andrew Holness at the 17th Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas in Cusco, Peru, on Wednesday, Dr. Chang said criminal networks are using weak borders to move narcotics, illegal guns and people, while enabling money laundering and other organised crime. He pressed counterparts to deepen intelligence sharing, widen joint military training and exercises, broaden technical exchanges and harden laws to prosecute cross-border offenders.

In Northeast Manchester, primary care access improved after the Craighead Health Centre reopened last week. The Type Two facility, upgraded under Operation Refresh at a cost of $46 million, is expected to serve about 18,000 residents across more than a dozen communities. Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton said the investment signals the community’s value and is meant to weave health services into daily life. The centre now offers wheelchair-friendly access, upgraded washrooms, greater patient comfort and expanded delivery, with design features aimed at older residents. Dr. Tufton said the clinic is readying to care for people living longer, noting continuous step-free entry and bathroom aids for wheelchair users. Services should strengthen preventive care, chronic-disease management and other essential primary care.

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz, speaking Wednesday at Kingston and St. Andrew traffic-ticket public days at the National Arena, said the Government remains set on introducing Jamaica’s demerit-point system. The two-day drive, organised by the Court Administration Division and the Judiciary, let pre-registered drivers settle unpaid tickets before warrants are enforced. Vaz said clearing the backlog—whether roughly 1.5 million tickets can be removed by October 1—is vital; otherwise planners must rethink timing, while keeping demerits workable to curb repeat offenders. Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Delroy Chuck urged motorists to honour the road code and settle tickets, warning of suspension or mandatory driving school and of warrants if summons deadlines and court dates are ignored. Drivers who missed the sessions were told to watch for similar parish drives or check ticket status through official channels.

Kingston’s waterfront is earmarked for the Kingston Harbour Walk, a 25-kilometre linear park from downtown to Port Royal under the Urban Development Corporation. Phase one runs from the Marine Police Station to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade building; phase two continues to Harbour View; phase three reaches Port Royal. UDC Deputy General Manager for Planning, Development and Project Management Loy Malcolm said design contracts for the first two phases are nearly signed, describing the park as a public resilient buffer protecting waterfront assets while creating spaces for public use.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Minister Floyd Green said the State will fund an architectural redesign of the Denbigh Showground in Clarendon so the site can operate year-round beyond the annual agricultural show, with more details due at the August staging. He also restated support for the Jamaica Agricultural Society, including a new Hanover parish office, three generators for disaster readiness at the JAS head office and Denbigh, a tractor for St. Catherine, repairs to one in Westmoreland, and expansion of farm stores—work already under way in Kingston, with Trelawny, Manchester and Westmoreland among targets—to sharpen competition and ease produce prices. He spoke at the society’s 120th annual general meeting.