Gov’t looking to develop Greenwich Town Fishing Village into commercial operation

​​​​​​​The Government is looking to develop the Greenwich Town Fishing Village in St Andrew into a major commercial operation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, said work being done through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) in the communities demonstrates the Government's interest in achieving transformative social investment.

“The men and women here understand fishing, and given the right equipment and facilities, [the community] can become a major fishing centre; and they have the markets here in the Corporate Area,” he said.

He was speaking with journalists following a tour of the Greenwich Town Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) on March 4.

Noting that attention is being given to the plan, as well as support already provided to the fishers, Chang pointed out that these emphasise the Government's holistic approach to developing communities, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will play a part in the process.

“All the services that are required to improve the lives of the fisherfolk will be provided to create an environment where there can be peace and public safety through the kind of development that can improve the wealth of the people in the area,” he further stated.

Noting that ZOSOs are doing well in many communities, Chang said it is a model which indicates that “when we work together, we can be effective in giving Jamaicans a better quality of life, including safety.”

The minister underscored that the next step under the crime reduction initiative is to continue equipping the security forces with the capacity to ensure that when the communities return to normal policing, wrongdoers do not use them as safe havens for criminal activities.

He emphasised that with the help of citizens, the police are recovering more illegal guns, and the Government is committed to ensure that confidence in the security forces is maintained.

Member of Parliament for St Andrew South West, Dr Angela Brown Burke, said many of the communities in the constituency “needed something like this.”

She added that the residents have welcomed the intervention, and are pleased with the interactions they are having with the security forces, as well as the projects being implemented.

- JIS News 

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