Kingston, 22 April 2026 (JIS) - The Minister of National Security and Peace, the Honourable Dr Horace Chang, says that measures will be introduced to strengthen security at entertainment events and protect patrons.

Opening the 2026/2027 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on April 21, he said that criminals will not be allowed to disrupt entertainment in the country.

“The police will be meeting and instructing, especially for large events, the proper operations [that] must be put in place to protect the event. We’re not stopping them,” he said, emphasising that the proper safeguards must be put in place.

He noted, for example, that it has been established that the Firearms Licensing Authority, which has armoured vehicles, must be a part of the cost for the staging of large events.

“The police will be there, too, because we are working jointly with the citizens and the police and other agencies to ensure there’s peace and protection,” he pointed out.

As it relates to the staging of smaller events, which have limited budgets, the Minister pointed out that it is not the policy of the police to stop these activities.

“But they (organisers) must also understand that a large part of the success of the police force is sheer intelligence, and we know when [criminals] are about to damage somebody’s party. Sometimes we have to stop the [events]. We can’t tell them but it is a fact of life and you have to understand,” he said.

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