AS the country continues to grapple with increasing criminal activities, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared that ensuring the safety and security of all Jamaicans is the Government’s number one priority at this time.

The prime minister, in an address to Sunday’s Area Two Council meeting at the Jamaica Labour Party’s St Catherine South Central Constituency office in Spanish Town, stressed that the entire Government will be directed towards improving and increasing the safety and security of the nation’s citizens.

“I want it to be clearly understood that the economic programme, the education programme, the energy programme, all the good things we are doing rest upon a solid security programme.

“Security comes first, because if the people are not secured they can’t invest; if they are not secured they can’t go to school; if people are stealing their agricultural output the farmers going to get frustrated and give up; so priority number one for Jamaica at this time is to ensure the safety and security of the Jamaican citizens,” the prime minister said. This new thrust, he added, will be reflected in the budget.

“Every dollar of expenditure must be spent with the intention that what you are going to use it for is going to enhance safety and security of the citizens of this country,” he said.

According to the prime minister, Government will be implementing a number of strategies which is aimed at reducing the country’s high murder rate. Chief among the strategy is the recently passed zones of special operation Bill that will give members of the security forces certain powers required to address serious crimes.

It will allow the police and military to search places, vehicles, or persons within designated zones without search warrants. The prime minister told party supporters that, before coming to this meeting, he had spent nearly six hours meeting with the National Security Council in an effort to hours to iron out measures in the Bill before it is operationalised.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/pm-says-safety-security-of-j-8217-cans-the-number-one-priority_104532

He, however, sought to allay fears that the Bill will be used to abuse the rights of innocent citizens.