KINGSTON, Jamaica - IN keeping with its anti-corruption thrust, the government of Jamaica has begun preparing for the implementation of “a security vetting policy which will apply to certain sensitive posts within the public service”.

According to the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), this is one of a number of efforts to “enhance accountability in Government” and “eliminate corruption”.

JIS said Prime Minister Bruce Golding told individuals assembled at a special consultation organised by the Customs Department that the policy was initially designed for the Ministry of National Security and the security forces, but it would also be extended to the government service. The consultation was part of the activities marking Customs Week.

"It doesn't mean that every single employee of Government is going to be subjected to the same sort of scrutiny…What we intend to do is to identify what we consider to be sensitive positions, and sensitive positions may either have to do with the sensitivity of the information to which that position or the whole of that position will have access, or it may have to do with resources that the person would have control over. It may have to do, simply, with the vulnerability of that person.

"In other words, if you are putting a person in a position where they have discretion to exercise, they can (for example) decide whether to charge so much, or whether they can vary that. The screening is going to be designed to identify vulnerabilities, determine levels of security, and ensure that, at those levels, a particular layer of security vetting is applied,” PM Golding explained.

JIS informs that PM Golding, who is also the Chairman of the body responsible for the implementation of the policy - the Security Council – said work on the policy is incomplete but the “discussions and deliberations should be concluded over the next few weeks”.

After the policy’s implementation, the PM stressed, it must be efficiently administered by responsible individuals whose trustworthiness command confidence.