 Mr Thomas said there had been a 'dramatic increase' in violent crime |
Britain has announced it is giving an extra �750,000 to Jamaica to help the Caribbean nation's fight against crime. The Foreign Office (FCO) and Department for International Development (Dfid) funding is in addition to �2.4m committed from 1 August 2005.
The money would combat "the misery that crime brings to communities both in Jamaica and in the UK", the FCO said.
International development minister Gareth Thomas said it would help fund more international police officers.
Foreign officers, including British police, are helping to advise Jamaica's force on how to deal with serious crime.
'Highest murder rate'
The FCO and Dfid are providing �375,000 each over the next three years.
In a statement, Mr Thomas said: "Crime generally in Jamaica is in long-term decline but this trend masks a dramatic increase in violent crime and one of the highest murder rates in the world.
"The win-win is that we are helping to crack crime in Jamaica, so preventing its export to the UK, while helping some of the poorest communities return to normality after being crime-ridden 'no go' areas," he said.
Lord Triesman, FCO minister for the Caribbean, said the money would help communities in Britain and Jamaica and "form part of a strategy to help improve security in the wider Caribbean community".
Community initiatives
The funding announcement follows a recent visit to London by Jamaica's national security minister, Dr Peter Phillips.
The Dfid has already provided �150,000 to help a community security initiative launched by Dr Phillips on 7 September.
The initiative aims to improve social services in a number of the island's poorer communities which were at one time controlled by criminals and cut off from basic services.
Under the scheme, networks of local people will work with police to consolidate and preserve community development.
British support
The Dfid said the broader reform of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) had been supported by the UK since 2000.
It provided initial support of �2.5m to the JCF over three years, which has now ended.
The �2.4m committed by the UK to Jamaica for three years from 1 August 2005 will go towards Jamaica's Medium Term Framework and National Security Strategy.
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We are helping to crack crime in Jamaica, so preventing its export to the UK, while helping some of the poorest communities return to normality
