Malcolm Heights in Lucea, Hanover was on Wednesday night the scene of a horrific double murder during which a 91-year-old woman and her teenage grandson were viciously killed.
Dead are Laurel ‘Doris’ Frame and her 15-year-old grandson Jesse Spence.

Reports reaching the Western Mirror are that about 9 p.m. the two were at home with another relative when four gunmen entered and held them at gunpoint.

The relative, it is said, managed to make his escape, however the teenager was chased, held in the yard and shot in the head and back. His grandmother was cornered in a room of the house and shot in the neck and forehead.

Quick action of the Hanover police has resulted in the arrest of two men in connection with the attack which investigators say stems from an ongoing gang feud. The names of the men, who were picked up in an operation in Lucea about 2 a.m. on Thursday, have been withheld pending further investigations.

Three men have also been named as Persons of Interest and were given up to 6 p.m. yesterday to turn themselves in. They are: Howard McIntosh, otherwise called ‘Zill’, Nickoy McKenzie, otherwise called ‘Nick’ and Ricardo Bird, otherwise called ‘Whiteman’ and ‘Birdie’, all of Lucea, Hanover addresses.

Approximately $4 million worth of construction equipment was on Tuesday handed over by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to the Flanker Skills Training Institute in St. James.
The equipment consisted of 56 of 62 items requested of CHEC from a list provided by HEART/Trust NTA, through the Member of Parliament for North West, St James Dr. Horace Chang. They included sledgehammers, pickaxes, electric saws, electric sanders, spades, shovels, paint rollers, pipe wrenches, drills, screwdriver sets, a ladder and steel cutters.

Deputy General Manager of CHEC, Dr Zhimin Hu in bringing greeting at a handing over ceremony held at the institution said the company’s contribution to the project captions the theme, “Give a man a fish, and he may be hungry again. Teach a man to fish, he will never hungry again.”

She added, “The people are a property of the country. The people are the country’s future and the people are the country’s hope. So, Jamaica no problem.”

“Jamaica’s popular theme will become the new reality of a proud, progressive and prosperous country,” Dr Hu added.

She also noted that, “Skills certification, especially those which are nationally and internationally recognised is like a passport to a good job. Certification must satisfy local needs but can provide mobility to the country in which the skills are in need and demanded.”
HEART Trust/NTA Acting Senior Director for Workforce Development and Employment Division, Elain Holloway thanked CHEC for their kind gesture.

“I am sure that this investment will help to change the lives of many youth in Flankers and related communities,” stated Holloway, who also challenged the students to take the best care of the equipment and tools, as they could be used to become a passport for their future and their children’s future.

Approximately five years ago, the training institute was constructed. However, after remaining closed for a number of years it was officially opened in May with its first set of students.

MP Chang, who is also Minister of National Security, who lauded the community for protecting the centre, bemoaned the length of time it took for something to be done at the centre which cost the country almost $100 million for it to be constructed and equipped.

CHANG’S BIG PLANS
He said the institution is seeking to ensure that the kind of activities that will attract a cross section of young people in the community and Montego Bay in general are implemented.

Dr Chang pointed out that the presentation on Tuesday forms part of what is being done to ensure sustainability, and as such, the equipment will assist in starting a programme in property management (landscaping and maintenance).

Dr Chang also noted that good things are happening within the community.

He said by the end of the year, the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) will take to the Western Region (Montego Bay) a simulator to train and certify operators of articulated vehicles.
The implementation of a recording studio is also on the agenda for the MP for hopefully next year.

And, the Jamaica Defence Force is currently looking at taking the Jamaica National Service Programme into Montego Bay. Dr Chang says he is hoping that the Flanker Centre will be used to facilitate such skill training from the JDF.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer, says that the International Human Trafficking Conference – which ended in Trelawny yesterday – must be seen as a call to action for Jamaica, the Caribbean and countries across the globe.

The two-day event, organised by the National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP), got under way on July 25 at the Meliá Braco Hotel.

Mrs. Palmer said that the conference is happening at a time when the Global Slavery Index is estimating that the slavery population is more than 40 million, and victims from at least 27 countries have been found across 137 states.

“No country is spared; no border is safe,” she noted.

She said, further, that global statistics indicate that the human trafficking trade generates profits of approximately $150 billion per annum.

Mrs. Palmer, who is also Chair of the NATFATIP, said countries must develop a framework, similar in importance to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to coalesce nations around a common set of constructs, principles and commitments to eliminate human trafficking.

“There is a need for robust monitoring and evaluation tools, which are scientifically applied to countries as a fair and objective means of assessing the work and progress in the anti-trafficking effort,” she argued.

GLOBAL CAMPAIGN
The NATFATIP Chair expressed the intention to launch a global campaign against human trafficking that aligns with the United Nations’ Global Plan of Action Against Trafficking in Persons, which was adopted in 2010.

The action plan calls on member countries to eliminate human trafficking by 2030.

It further includes concrete actions to prevent trafficking in persons, protect and assist victims, prosecute related crimes and strengthen partnerships among governments, civil society organisations and the private sector, including the media.

“All of us must get out of our comfort zone and do what we can in our sphere to make this a past activity,” Mrs. Palmer said.

The NATFATIP International Human Trafficking Conference was held under the theme ‘From Victim to Survivor – The Hard Road to Recovery’.

Members of the diplomatic community from the European Union, Canada, the United States of America, Russia, India, Panama and Venezuela attended the event. There were also international presenters from France and Romania.

The opening ceremony included the sashing of the island’s first-ever Human Trafficking Ambassadors, Miss Jamaica World 2017, Solange Sinclair, and Founder of The Sun Gate Foundation and human trafficking survivor, Shamere McKenzie, who also delivered the keynote address.

A moment of silence was observed as well as the symbolic turning on of the Blue Lights to represent solidarity with victims of human trafficking.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, has admitted to the shortcomings within the Jamaican local government system. One such limitation he admits is local government practitioners being unaware of their role.

“Local government, over the years, has been severely criticised. In some cases there are real justifications but in other cases it is a lack of understanding (of) the role of local government. And certainly, there are many local government practitioners who contribute to that notion, because they themselves are not fully cognizant of their role as local government practitioners.”

He expressed his disappointment at the recently held Local Governance Conference Jamaica 2018 at the Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort and Spa, directed by the theme ‘Strengthening Responsiveness and Accountability within the Local Governance Framework’.

To remedy the situation, Mr. McKenzie has underlined the importance of ensuring that the proper knowledge and training is imparted unto the local government practitioners so that they may better be able to serve the people. “We are cognizant of the role that we have to play as servants of the people. Therefore, it is the commitment of this administration to ensure that we expose our local government practitioners to the best possible training; the best possible medium so that they can express themselves in the way they ought to express themselves,” he said.

Further to that, he outlined that local government plays a deeper and more valuable role than cleaning drains and bushing trees, but to the more desperate and needy part of our society. He gave the example of the fourteen (14) infirmaries across this country where many Jamaicans fell on hard times and were dependent on the services of local government.

A key part to the role of local government being disaster management, Mr. McKenzie maintained that we’ve entered the hurricane period, with several parishes already experiencing severe drought conditions in anticipation of a very active hurricane season. However, he is assuring the public that, “We are preparing ourselves as local government practitioners to face these challenges and to respond in a meaningful manner.”

He used the platform provided by the conference to highlight the recent fires that have been unexpectedly recurring. With that he charged mayors, councillors and the respective local government personnel to work assiduously and well within their roles. “A lot more needs to be done to ensure that we secure the landfills across the country. These are just some of the challenges that we face as local government practitioners,” he said.

Sashane Shakes