By Vernon Daley, Staff Reporter 
Phillips
LOCAL LAW enforcement officials are to intensify monitoring of visitors to the island as part of Government's plans to weed out those involved in crime, including drug smuggling and gun running.
National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips told Parliament yesterday that Jamaica was now working with its foreign partners to put in place new data processing and information technology to track the movements of travellers to the island and nab those involved in crime.
The Minister, who opened the 2002/2003 Sectoral Debate in the House, said part of the Government's plan to clamp down on those involved in crime was to strengthen the screening of foreigners and ensure more rigorous enforcement of visa requirements.
"We will find them out and evict them from our shores," the Minister said.
Recently, The Gleaner reported that the island's narcotics police have been monitoring what they say is a heavy presence of South American nationals in western Jamaica.
The police say that with the western end of the island, particularly Montego Bay, targeted as a strategic location for drug transshipment, it has been attracting a lot of interest from overseas suppliers.
They point to 'fancy houses' being rented by foreign nationals and for long periods of time.
The head of the country's narcotics division, Carl Williams, said the police have been keeping a close watch on the situation.
"Yes, we have noticed an unusually high presence of South American nationals in that part of the island and we believe it involves drug trafficking," he explained.
Mr. Williams said his department has been working closely with South American intelligence agencies to stem cocaine trafficking to the island. He said last year's record cocaine find in Belmont, Westmoreland showed a clear link "with South American connections".
In his presentation which touched on a wide range of law enforcement issues, the Minister yesterday also disclosed that the police force would set up a National Intelligence Bureau as part of its modernisation plan.
The bureau will pull together all the strands of the police intelligence network, such as Special Branch; National Firearms and Drug Intelligence Centre; Organised Crime Unit; and Narcotics Division.
"The aim is to increase the organisation's capacity to generate criminal intelligence to guide operations," Dr. Phillips said.
Currently, all records at Special Branch are being computerised with help from Scotland Yard. Additionally, the United States Government has provided expertise in helping with restructuring the National Firearms and Drug Intelligence Centre.
As part of the crime plan, Minister Phillips said there has been training of personnel in advanced search procedures to recover illegal guns and drugs, with minimum inconvenience to the public.
"We also intend to engage in continuous sharing of intelligence and training with friendly countries in the Caribbean and Latin America region," the Minister said.
