标签： Jamaica

Jamaica’s St Thomas parish is boosting uniformed police presence along its new stretch of the Southern Coastal Highway to crack down on dangerous speeding, particularly among reckless motorcycle delivery riders, according to the division’s top law enforcement official.

Deputy Superintendent Rohan Ritchie, commanding officer of the St Thomas Police Division, announced the new enforcement measure during a regular monthly sitting of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation on Thursday. The move follows urgent public safety warnings raised by Port Morant Division Councillor Dinsdale Smith, a member of the People’s National Party, who highlighted growing community alarm over reckless operation of delivery bikes linked to local fast-food outlets.

At the center of Smith’s concerns are riders working out of the newly opened Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) location in Morant Bay’s Urban Centre. He told assembled municipal officials that local residents have grown increasingly uneasy watching riders weave erratically through congested traffic to meet delivery deadlines, warning that unchecked reckless behavior will almost certainly lead to catastrophic, fatal collisions.

“We have one of the world’s biggest food franchises newly opened here, and their delivery service is certainly efficient, but the way some of these riders use our public roads is deeply troubling,” Smith told the meeting. “I cannot understand what pushes them to ride the way they do, but I can already see catastrophic accidents on the horizon if nothing changes.”

Smith called on local police to intervene, suggesting targeted outreach and educational sessions could help riders understand how their reckless maneuvers put other road users at risk and create public nuisance. “We need to make clear that this kind of behavior cannot continue, and that fatalities are not a price we are willing to pay for fast delivery,” he added.

Ritchie acknowledged the validity of the concerns, but outlined significant operational challenges law enforcement faces when intercepting reckless motorcycle riders. Police are banned from engaging in high-speed chases, he explained, because fleeing riders often lose control and turn their bikes into dangerous weapons that can injure bystanders or other motorists. Compounding enforcement issues, Ritchie added that many of the motorcycles ridden by delivery workers carry registration plates that are not legally tied to the actual rider, making post-incident accountability difficult. Even when officers are able to catch offenders, he noted, vehicles are seized and violators are prosecuted, but the structural challenges persist.

Going forward, Ritchie said the division will pair increased visible patrols along the highway with expanded public education campaigns targeted at young motorcyclists, who make up the vast majority of delivery riders and speed-related accidents in the parish. “Data shows that most speed-related crash victims and offenders are young people, who push their bikes to the limit because they think they are invincible,” Ritchie told the chamber, drawing light laughter when he noted “At my age, I never go over 30 miles an hour.” He added that the core message of outreach will be simple: the whole point of driving is to arrive at your destination alive.

The newly completed stretch of highway that cuts through St Thomas has been a major infrastructure win for the parish, cutting travel time from Harbour View to Morant Bay from an average two hours to just 30 to 40 minutes by Ritchie’s account, smoothing out the notoriously congested route that once plagued commercial and personal travel. But better road conditions have come with an unexpected downside: they have emboldened motorists to hit dangerously high speeds, Ritchie said. Since the start of 2024, the parish has recorded four fatal collisions that left five people dead, a statistic Ritchie says demands urgent action to slow traffic down.

“We cannot overemphasize this enough: we need all motorists to slow down and take extra care on this new thoroughfare,” Ritchie said. “We are committed to doing everything in our power to curb reckless driving and prevent more preventable deaths.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica — At a small ceremonial gathering held at Kingston’s AC Hotel, multi-hyphenate Jamaican leader Dr Patricia Smith — a successful home care entrepreneur, hotel operator, and published author — officially gifted a signed copy of her latest work *I Persist* to Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett. The event unfolded on the margins of a cross-sector convening that brought together top stakeholders from Jamaica’s tourism, education, and business industries, all gathered to exchange ideas around building greater resilience and driving innovation across the country’s key service sectors.

In her remarks during the presentation, Dr Smith outlined the core mission that drove her to write *I Persist*. The book was crafted as a source of encouragement for Jamaicans across all walks of life, she explained, with a special focus on uplifting women who grew up in state-run care institutions, as well as any person who has navigated the devastating challenges of homelessness and hopelessness. Its core message is simple: to urge readers to stay unshakable in the face of hardship, and to build every part of their lives around clear, intentional purpose.

Dr Smith went on to frame Minister Bartlett himself as a living example of the persistence her book celebrates. From leading Jamaica’s tourism sector through repeated global crises to advocating tirelessly for the country as a top-tier travel destination on the international stage, Bartlett’s decades-long career embodies the very spirit at the heart of *I Persist*, she said. Dr Smith shared that her hope is the book will strike a chord with every Jamaican who is dedicated to building a more robust, prosperous nation for all.

Minister Bartlett accepted the gift with gratitude, emphasizing that the values of resilience and endurance that *I Persist* explores lie at the center of Jamaica’s strategy for tourism recovery and long-term growth. He reflected on the repeated shocks the sector has absorbed over recent years: devastating hurricanes, the global COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing geopolitical instability that has reshaped international travel. Through every challenge, Bartlett noted, Jamaica’s tourism industry has persisted, adapted, and reimagined itself — and that ability to bounce back is the very reason the country remains one of the most sought-after Caribbean destinations for travelers worldwide. He thanked Dr Smith for the thoughtful gesture and for her contribution to the growing national conversation about what it means to lead with endurance.

Beyond its motivational message, *I Persist* digs into interconnected themes of personal resilience, overcoming systemic barriers that hold marginalized communities back, and the transformative power of leadership rooted in clear purpose.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — On Thursday this year, daily work came to a standstill across every regional office of global real estate network Keller Williams, as the organization marked its signature annual event: RED Day. This long-running tradition, built on the core values of service, gratitude and collective community uplift, brings thousands of agents across the world together each year to step away from their regular professional duties and invest direct effort into the local neighborhoods that sustain their work. Short for “Renew, Energize, Donate”, RED Day has grown far beyond a single corporate CSR project to become a coordinated global movement focused on tangible, on-the-ground impact. While the global initiative paused operations on Thursday, volunteer teams across Jamaica carried out their community projects the following day, focusing their efforts on two of the nation’s most vital mission-driven institutions in locations across Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.

Local Keller Williams agents split into teams to volunteer at two key organizations: The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation, which supports young mothers across the country through tailored education programs and wraparound support services, and Westhaven Children’s Home in Hanover, a residential care facility that provides ongoing care and support for children living with disabilities. On-site at Westhaven, volunteers completed much-needed roof repair work that had been a pressing need for the home for months.

Nicole Touzalin, Qualifying Director for Keller Williams Jamaica, emphasized the deep connection between the firm’s commercial success and the community it serves. “As real estate professionals and members of a global network, we have to recognize that our success is inextricably tied to the strength of the local communities we work in. Every successful transaction, every long-term client relationship, every professional opportunity we get comes from the trust and support local residents give us year after year. RED Day gives us a dedicated moment to step back from our work and give that energy back in a way that is meaningful and tangible for people who need it,” Touzalin explained.

Beyond the structural repairs at Westhaven, volunteers across both sites participated in a wide range of hands-on activities. Teams refurbished aging facility spaces, built new community gardens and planted native trees, delivered critically needed essential supplies to both institutions, and set aside time to connect directly with residents and care staff. What emerged as the most impactful part of the day, however, was not the physical improvements, but the genuine sense of connection and solidarity built between volunteers and the communities they served.

Organizers stressed that RED Day is never just about donating material goods or completing construction projects. At its core, the initiative is about showing up, offering compassion, and reinforcing the message that no member of a community has to face challenges alone. Brittany Ffrench, Director of KW Cares Jamaica, noted that the event carries extra weight in Jamaica, where communal connection and shared culture are central to daily life. “Here, corporate responsibility isn’t an optional add-on to doing business—it’s an essential part of being a good community member. When we invest our time and effort into institutions like the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation and Westhaven Children’s Home, we’re not just fixing a roof or sorting supplies—we’re investing in the future of our nation. We’re standing with young mothers working to build a second chance for themselves and their families, and we’re uplifiting children who deserve every opportunity to live with dignity, care and hope,” Ffrench added.