Probe continues into Jamaica’s multi-million dollar heist

Jamaica’s Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson says investigations are ongoing into last week’s multibillion-dollar heist at an automated teller machine in the central parish of St Catherine

Speaking at a recent function in the Corporate Area, Anderson promised that the police will soon make a breakthrough in the armed robbery on March 19, which left five persons wounded, including four security guards and a licensed firearm holder

According to Antony Anderson, the suspects have been detained in relation to the incident, and “we should have some good breakthroughs in the near future ”

The Commissioner also signaled that changes are coming with regard to the handling of large amounts of cash by security guards

He said there should be uniformity in the procedures for security guards who transport cash, and accordingly, members of the security industry will collectively develop new standards, which will then be

Jamaican farmers urged to guard against the TR4 Disease

The Banana Board is urging Jamaican farmers to implement measures to protect their holdings against the TR4 disease even though the disease has not yet been detected in any Caribbean country

TR4 disease, which is also known as Fusarium odoratissimum, is a threat to commercial varieties of the local banana, plantain, and ornamental Heliconia crops

“It is not in Jamaica and it is not yet in the Caribbean but in 2019 it came to South America to Colombia and it stayed there for a while In 2021, it moved from Colombia to Peru and in January 2023, just two months ago, it jumped into Venezuela,” said Banana Board general manager, Janet Conie further discussed with the police, who will then h into how the whole operation of the movement o cash is going to take place ”

He said the standards will also be discussed w Bankers Association, in order to ensure a comm and approach to the challenge

Commissioner Anderson has asserted that it i a sense of optimism as Jamaica charts its way th

“The force is in a good place and is only gett said of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). “O growing from strength to strength. It has been p a force for good in many ways, and as I moved a the country over the December period, I got a re appreciation of how many lives we have impacte positively ” Anderson was speaking at the commissioner’s annual devotional exercise, which was held on Tuesday morning under the theme ‘Relentless Pursuit of Excellence: A Force for Good’

She said that the disease has the real danger or potential to wipe out the entire industry and that the TR4 is a soil-borne fungal disease that can stay in the soil for 30 years for which there is no cure and no resistant commercial varieties

“What we need to do is to keep it out What happens when it comes is that it spreads in the soil, in water, on tools and equipment, and by people moving We are very concerned that it is in Venezuela because the traffic between Venezuela and Trinidad is real and the traffic between Jamaica and Trinidad is very real,” she added

With the potential effects of the TR4, farmers are being encouraged to ramp up border security, farm biosecurity, as well as diagnostic and surveillance measures, which are critical to preventing the spread of the disease

“We are motivating our farmers to secure their farms in Jamaica. We are telling them to fence them and put footpaths for persons that come on the farms, that they walk in these footpaths and to disinfect their shoes,” Mrs Conie said, noting that the Banana Board is also encouraging Jamaicans who travel to be mindful of their movements in countries where the TR4 is present

“Anybody can bring it in if they are unaware of what they do If you go to a South American country now, into a banana field, we ask you not to bring your clothes and shoes back, because you may bring it inadvertently,” Mrs Conie said

So far, the Banana Board has been working to strengthen the industry against the threat of the disease

“We have been preparing We have varieties that are not so commercial but are fairly resistant and we have been multiplying those in Jamaica, so we have something for food security should we be affected,” she added