peter bunting

Bunting: Crime Rate Has Held Back Jamaica's Economic Development
Flights

JetBlue Has New Nonstop Flights to St. Maarten, the Dual-Destination Caribbean Island With Food, Fun, and Picture-Perfect Beaches

 A beach on the French side.

Sunset cocktails along the boardwalk. An afternoon of shopping in Philipsburg. Dinners in Grand Case that stretch late into the night — St. Maarten is just a fun place to be — and the Caribbean island has a way of making even simple rituals feel like part of its identity. With JetBlue’s new nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale, travelers now […]

peter bunting

Jamaican Prime Minister: Government Committed to Security Policy

Above: Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (Photo: OPM) By the Caribbean Journal staff Jamaica’s government is committed to making the country safer, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said during the 2012/2013 Budget Debate in Parliament Tuesday. The administration will be expanding its efforts on that front, she said, with a major strategy aiming to […]

peter bunting

Jamaica Names Police Welfare Officer

Above: Police Commissioner Owen Ellington By the Caribbean Journal staff Jamaica has appointed former Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas to be the country’s new Police Welfare Coordinator at the Ministry of National Security, according to National Security Minister Peter Bunting. Thomas will advocate for former officers and those who still serve the country. “This high-stress environment […]

peter bunting

Jamaica's Murder Rate Down 30 Percent Since Beginning of 2012: Report

Above: Jamaican National Security Minister Peter Bunting (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Jamaica’s murder rate has fallen from a rate of 3.1 per day to two per day, according to National Security Minister Peter Bunting. That represents a 30 percent reduction since the beginning of the year, Bunting said this week. “Hopefully, we […]

Jamaica Names Police Welfare Officer

 Above: Police Commissioner Owen Ellington (FP) By the Caribbean Journal staff Jamaican Police Commissioner Owen Ellington said the police would be adopting several new strategies involving the use of force by police during operations. The police are looking to reduce the number of fatal shootings. Ellington’s announcement comes after Jamaican National Security Minister Bunting said […]

Jamaica Plans "Major" Crime Reduction

 Above: National Security Minister Peter Bunting (JIS Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff A “major” reduction in crime is a “strategic objective” of the Jamaican government, according to National Security Minister Peter Bunting. The Minister, who said tackling crime was an “absolute priority” and that the country needed a drastic shift in its crime-fighting paradigm. […]

Jamaica Records Lowest Monthly Murder Total Since February 2003

 Above: Minister of National Security Peter Bunting (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The murder rate in March was the lowest in Jamaica since February 2003, according to National Security Minister Peter Bunting. There were a total of 69 murders last month. “Although 69 murders in one month is still too high, we are […]

Jamaica Looks to Dismantle Gangs

 Above: Jamaican National Security Minister Peter Bunting (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Given the country’s ongoing problem with gang violence, Jamaican National Security Minister Peter Bunting wants to shift its traditional security strategy. Historically, tackling gangs has been done by confronting members and removing them from communities — but that has had only […]

United States Donates Equipment, Vehicles to Jamaican Police Force

 Above: the Jamaica Constabulary Force (Photo: JCF) By the Caribbean Journal staff The United States government has donated protective gear and vehicles to the Jamaica Constabulary Force in a boost to the country’s crime-fighting efforts. The equipment includes 20 vehicles, 500 ballistic vests and 500 tactical uniforms and is valued at around $746,000. “I know […]

Interview with Jamaican Minister of National Security Peter Bunting

 By Alexander Britell GRENADA – The seventh UK-Caribbean Forum that met in Grenada earlier this month looked at a range of areas of cooperation as the Caribbean and the UK open up a “new and more modern relationship” going forward. As part of a series of interviews with leaders at the Forum, Caribbean Journal talked […]

Jamaica to Destroy 4,000 Weapons as Part of United Nations Initiative

 Above: Some of the weapons set for destruction (JIS Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Jamaica began the destruction of approximately 4,000 weapons and a half-ton of small arms ammunition in a disposal exercise today. The move, which began with the destruction of 2,000 guns, is part of an effort to combat the illegal trade […]