The Government has allocated a further $500 million to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for the Anti-Corruption Branch.

The majority of the money is to pay staff in the branch which is led by Assistant Commissioner Les Green as the Government increases its efforts to stamp out corruption in the force.

That allocation is part of a major reorganisation and slight reduction of the housekeeping money given to the police force for the fiscal year.

JCF budget

The Supplementary Estimates, tabled yesterday, show the recurrent budget for the JCF moving from $24.4 billion to $23.8 billion.

In addition to the Anti-Corruption Branch, the JCF gets $369 million more to implement the strategic review recommendations and $110 million for the policy strategy and plan (formerly the Professional Standards Branch).

However, the force will have to make do with a $353-million reduction for general police functions and $589 million less for human resource management and other support services.

Sixty-nine million dollars has been cut from the police budget for its Firearm and Tactical Training Unit and $54 million has been docked from the Community Safety and Security Branch.

In the meantime, the Island Special Constabulary Force will have to make do with $17 million less to pay its members for travel expenses and subsistence, while the Jamaica Defence Force has been allocated a further $450 million for part-payment of the arrears in the salaries of its members for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.