Guardsman blast, NRRA appointment and police body-camera delays lead CVM newscast

Four Guardsman Group workers are expected to be flown overseas for medical care after an explosion at the company’s South Camp Road corporate office in St. Andrew on Wednesday morning left them with serious burns.

The blast reportedly happened before 9 a.m. while welding was being done on one of the security company’s armoured trucks. CVM News said preliminary information indicated that all four injured employees are men. Three vehicles on the property were badly damaged, while a fourth sustained minor damage. The company did not provide details when contacted by the station.

In another major development, Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness announced that retired Major General Anthony Anderson, Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States, has been selected as chief executive officer of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority. Anderson is to assume the post on June 1, 2026.

Holness said the NRRA law has been signed by the Governor General and the authority is being positioned to help Jamaica prepare for the coming hurricane season. He said the CEO role had been advertised internationally, attracting 120 applications, including 85 specifically for the top job. The selection panel included representatives from the Public Services Commission, the Cabinet Office, the Transformation Implementation Unit in the Ministry of Finance, the Port Authority of Jamaica and Enrock.

The prime minister said Anderson brings experience in public administration, national security, institutional leadership and crisis response. He described the role as one focused on execution, not bureaucracy.

CVM also reported renewed pressure for faster rollout of police body-worn cameras following the controversial fatal shooting of a woman in Granville, St. James. Jamaicans for Justice and other stakeholders called for policy documents to be made public and procurement to move more quickly.

The newscast reported that 1,600 cameras have so far been deployed across the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Deputy Commissioner Warren Clarke said the force has about 20 per cent camera coverage among operational personnel and expects to reach about 6,000 cameras, or roughly 80 per cent penetration, by 2029. INDECOM Commissioner Hugh Faulkner said deployment should be prioritised for planned police operations, where accountability and evidentiary needs are highest.