NEPA trains Marine Police in environmental laws
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says it has trained just over 20 Marine Police officers in environmental laws and how to safely and effectively secure Jamaica’s ports of entries from the importation of invasive alien species and curb the export of Jamaica’s endemic and endangered species.
The training took place on August 7 at the Marine Police Divisional Headquarters in Newport East, Kingston with officers drawn from the marine outposts located in Portland, St Thomas, St James, Trelawny, St Ann, St Elizabeth, St Catherine, Westmoreland and the divisional headquarters in Kingston, NEPA said.
Public Education and Corporate Communication Manager at NEPA, Dionne Rose, said that the training exercise was part of the agency’s mandate of providing public education on environmental laws and as such empowering Jamaica’s law enforcement officers with the necessary knowledge to carry out their duties effectively.
The cops were exposed to the current environmental issues and trends as well as the danger of invasive alien species such as the Lionfish. They were exposed to techniques in collecting water and fish samples during pollution incidents and how to maintain the integrity of the sample. They were also encouraged to continue to be vigilant of species coming into and leaving Jamaica’s borders by the sea via the coastline
“The Marine Police Division is committed to preventing and combating crimes along the coastline and in the territorial waters of Jamaica; equally, the protection of marine wildlife is a critical responsibility of the unit,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police, Adrian Hamilton in thanking NEPA for the training.
NEPA has trained 320 police officers in environmental laws over the past three years. Another workshop will be scheduled later this year.