BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES: THE LAUNCH OF PROJECT C.R.E.A.T.E IN JAMAICA
With the pressing urgency of community development taking the spotlight, the Jamaica Constabulary Force joined the Ministry of National Security and key stakeholders on Thursday, May 15, to launch the Comm-Unity Resilience and Transformation (CREATE) initiative—a US $2 million, two-year partnership between Jamaica and the United States of America aimed at transforming high-risk communities through innovation, collaboration and care.
In keeping with the spirit of transformation, representatives from the Jamaican government, law enforcement and community-based organisations delivered powerful messages underscoring the CREATE project’s potential to reshape the nation’s approach to crime prevention and community development.
Senior Superintendent Dahlia Garrick of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Community Safety and Security Branch described CREATE as a landmark initiative that marks “the creation of new Jamaica—a safer Jamaica,” praising the project’s strategic focus on at-risk communities, which have long faced entrenched challenges. SSP Garrick also celebrated a recent decrease in major crimes island-wide, crediting partnerships like CREATE for supporting the police force’s mission. Specialised training in crime prevention through environmental design will soon be rolled out to officers, she announced, strengthening the JCF’s ability to assess, intervene, and engage communities in long-term safety solutions.
Supported by the State Department of USA and implemented by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), CREATE aims to strengthen both the physical and social environments of
five communities—Parade Gardens and Majesty Gardens in the corporate area, Gregory Park in St. Catherine along with Norwood in St. James and Grange Hill, Westmoreland.
The project aims to foster youth development, community pride and social cohesion by creating networks of support for at-risk youth through crime prevention activities, skills training and infrastructure. Some of the activities will include training community-based organisations, engaging 500 youth in prevention programs, hosting multi-value dialogues, and renovating key community spaces – initiatives grounded in the internationally recognised principles of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED).
Mrs Sherece James, Director of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design at the Ministry of National Security, explained that CREATE’s foundation in environmental design reflects a growing understanding that the physical layout of communities can significantly influence safety and behaviour. She told the stakeholders who gathered at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew for the launch that the multidisciplinary CPTED will discourage criminal activity and instill a culture of security and civic pride.
Representing the voices of the communities directly impacted, Mr Shaka Payne, Communications Manager for the Parade Gardens Benevolent Society, delivered an impassioned appeal for youth-centred development. He emphasized that young people must not be viewed merely as passive recipients of aid, but as active participants and future leaders. Payne described CREATE as more than a set of activities; he called it a movement.
“This is a roadmap to change,” he declared. He reinforced the community’s readiness to partner with national and international stakeholders, not just to benefit from change—but to lead it.
In closing the keynote address, Ms Beatriz Quintero, Senior Program Manager for Peace, Justice and Security at PADF, commended the collaborative efforts already underway with the JCF’s Community Safety and Security Branch and reaffirmed PADF’s commitment to building safer, more empowered communities through sustained partnerships and inclusive development.
For high-level policymakers and local community leaders alike, the launch of CREATE represents a pivotal moment—an affirmation that safety, dignity, and development must go hand in hand to create a stronger, more resilient Jamaica.
“It is not merely a program,” said Senior Superintendent Dahlia Garrick, “it is a path forward.”
