Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding. JIS Photo We have a crime problem that's the second highest in the world and so we need a strong, decisive national security strategy Prime Minister Bruce Golding

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has scheduled consultations with the Police Federation over the next ten days, following which the Jamaican government will proceed quickly to implement new measures agreed on, in its continuing efforts to bring the escalating crime situation under control.

Golding said the State is confronted with severe challenges that require greater responses than what has been mounted so far. 'We have to examine and re-evaluate those initiatives which have been effective and to see where we need to make changes.' he said.

Golding was speaking on Tuesday at a meeting at Jamaica House with representatives of several government agencies and international development partners on issues of security, crime and violence. The meeting was called to discuss and garner support to deal with national security policies.

The Prime Minister said he had requested Government agencies to do a serious evaluation of some of the initiates adopted to determine what has worked and what has not worked so they can be synchronized and modified. 'We have a crime problem that's the second highest in the world and so we need a strong, decisive national security strategy', he said.

Golding said he would be addressing Parliament next week on the new legislative measures to be implemented. 'We are going to get tough. We might offend the sensitivity of some groups, but the security of the country cannot be compromised', the Prime Minister said.

He expressed government's appreciation for the work being done by various Non Government Organisations but noted that there was need for greater co-ordination between government and the NGOs. He called on the agencies to continue to partner with Government 'to help us find our way through this dark forest'.

The International Development Partners have set up a working group to see how best they can provide assistance and work together with the government. The group has called for greater clarity to guide the partners on how they can better coordinate their efforts and programmes to support communities.

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