The National Security Council, NSC, has approved a series of legislative and policy initiatives it says are designed to strengthen Jamaica’s economic security, citizen security and national resilience.
The Council, which is chaired by Prime Minister, Dr. Andrew Holness, met last Thursday.
Among the initiatives approved were recommendations to eliminate lottery scamming, modernise the country’s drug laws and develop a coordinated national programme to expand trauma counselling in the areas worst affected by Hurricane Melissa.
The NSC says the decisions are in response to evolving criminal, technological and social threats.
On the point of lottery scamming, Dr Holness argues that even with a contraction in employment and a decline in annual foreign exchange earnings, the Global Services Sector is one of the country’s most strategic economic assets and a pillar of national economic security.
As such, he says the threat posed to the industry by organised criminal operations and lottery scamming cannot be allowed to perpetuate.
Among the specific actions the Council has approved is a move to modernise lottery scam legislation and substantially strengthen criminal penalties.
According to the NSC, this aligns Jamaica’s legal framework with evolving international standards governing cybercrime, organised financial crime and digital fraud.
It also strengthens intelligence, investigations, prosecutions and asset recovery against organised criminal networks; enhances regulatory oversight, governance and compliance across the Global Services Sector; and deepens operational cooperation between Government, regulators and industry to safeguard Jamaica’s position as a secure and trusted destination for global digital services.
Turning to the country’s drug laws, the Council has agreed to an amendment of the Dangerous Drugs Act to facilitate the rapid designation and control of emerging psychoactive substances, also called synthetic or designer drugs, before they become established in Jamaica.
Dr Holness says the decision follows an increase in the seizure of synthetic drugs, including substances marketed as Molly.
With regard to the psychological trauma in Hurricane Melissa-affected communities, the NSC says it has seen an increase in incidents and has therefore approved the development of a national programme to expand interventions.
Prime Minister Holness says trauma counselling, community mental health services, family intervention programmes and violence prevention initiatives will be among the approaches.
The National Security Council says protecting Jamaica’s national security requires safeguarding not only the country’s borders and citizens but also its economy, public health, digital environment and the resilience of its communities.
