Haughton calls for urgent action to fix JamaicaEye
Published:Friday | December 20, 2024 | 10:03 AM
Opposition spokesman on science and technology, Dr Andre Haughton, is calling for urgent action from the government to assess and repair the JamaicaEye network amid a revelation from National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang that many cameras in the surveillance system are not functioning.
Speaking as he met with business leaders in New Market, St Elizabeth, on Wednesday, Chang said a shortage of personnel to maintain the system has caused some of the cameras to fail.
Haughton says this failure poses a serious threat to public safety at this time as crime traditionally spikes during the Christmas season.
“The non-functioning cameras represent a national security crisis. These devices are critical for monitoring and responding to criminal activity. The Government must explain how we reached this dangerous juncture and take immediate corrective action,” Haughton states.
He is urging the Government to conduct an emergency audit to assess the operational status of all JamaicaEye cameras and launch an emergency maintenance programme to restore their functionality.
He also wants technology experts to be engaged to ensure sustainable system improvements.
Chang has stated that based on the critical nature of JamaicaEye to national security, the Government is far advanced in outsourcing the maintenance service to a local company for 1,000 cameras now on the network.
“We are negotiating with a new company, a Jamaican company, which is willing to go in and establish the system, and we should be ready to roll out in this [financial] year,” said Chang.
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