'Unfair and unreasonable' OUR says JPS' 41-day billing cycle breaches service terms

Saturday, September 13, 2008

THE Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) yesterday described as 'unreasonable and unfair', the Jamaica Public Service's (JPS') use of a 41-day cycle to bill hundreds of its customers for the months of July and August, saying the company's actions violate its service terms and conditions.

As a result, the regulatory body has ordered the light and power company to reduce the billing period for the actual and estimated bills for the affected accounts and demanded that the customers' services not be disconnected for any outstanding balance between now and December 31.

The OUR has also demanded that the JPS provide, within seven days, a detailed account of the circumstances that led to the issue of the bills reflecting the extended period.

"Having reviewed some of the complaints, the office has concluded that JPS has breached the conditions of the JPS All-Island Electricity Licence, 2001 by issuing bills for a period in excess of the time approved by the OUR," the OUR said in a press release issued late yesterday.

"The OUR is also of the view that JPS' actions in this matter are unreasonable and unfair to its customers regarding their cash flow and budgeting; while, at the same time, giving JPS an advantage with regards to its own cash flow," the OUR added.

Yesterday's announcement came amidst outcries from hundreds of customers that the company had sent them bloated bills for the months in question that they were unable to pay.

Customers complained that their bills doubled and in cases quadrupled over the period, even as the price of oil on the world market continued to fall. One woman was reported to have received a bill of more than $400,000 - several thousands more than the $2,229 she should have been charged.

Several disgruntled customers also held peaceful protests outside the company's Montego Bay, Portland and Portmore branches earlier this week, demanding that the company provide an explanation regarding the significant increases.

Yesterday, the OUR also demanded that the light and power company "provide a method for calculating the adjustments to the bills that will reflect consumption levels for the fewer days at the fuel rates which were applicable for that period".

Said the OUR: "The approved bill format, based on actual readings, for issue in the next billing period, should be accompanied by a bill stuffer explaining the meaning of the line items for the necessary adjustments."

In addition, the OUR asked the JPS to:

. Provide a list of all affected customers and their geographical locations;

. Ensure that no estimated bills are issued for a billing period exceeding 30 days as of November 2008; and that

. As of January 2009, at least 99 per cent of bills based on actual readings will not exceed a billing period of 31 days.

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UTech: A modern-day security hub

BY TYRONE S REID Sunday Observer staff reporter reidt@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, September 14, 2008

WITH the explosion of big-dollar, state-of-the-art
technological machinery, cutting-edge systems, lightning-speed tracking devices and other generational tools at college campuses across the globe, the Security and Safety Department at the University of Technology (UTech) has emerged with an energised drive to expand the role of technology in protecting students and staff on the campus.

Many will remember the early-morning shooting incident last December which claimed the life of 21-year-old student DeAndra Morris, after she was attacked, in the company of a female friend, while returning from a party. Additionally, since the start of the new academic year, the department has reportedly received many 'stalker reports' from both students and staff members.



Smith explains the workings and functions of the high-tech equipment in the restricted security area. (Photos: Lionel Rookwood)

That's why the university is investing tens of millions of dollars to expand their high-tech security control room as part of efforts to further upgrade their already highly-advanced 'protection scheme' - described as the most sophisticated among educational institutions in Jamaica. Already close to completion, the control area comes fully equipped with flat-screen monitoring devices, surveillance feeds from all corners of the campus and even weather-tracking software. On the dormitories, visual ID recognition is employed, with the feed sent back to the university's control room. Additionally, the university will soon boast a new viewing room, much akin to those used at foreign police stations.

These days, security is big business at UTech and they want to share their expertise and capabilities with the rest of the island - and the region. Just ask Robert 'Bobby' Smith, the man who has been leading the big-hearted security revolution at the school for the last four years.

"We want to go into the business of providing technologically-advanced

security services throughout the region for education purposes. We are not in competition with other institutions. We are interested in sharing our expertise for the benefit of staff and students," Smith told the Sunday Observer. "We feel very strongly that learning should be done in a safe environment and that the investment we make in terms of safety and security will yield very good results."

Two weeks ago, the Sunday Observer was taken on a tour of the facilities to view the current control room (a highly restricted area) and to hear about the vast upgrading work being carried out. The high-tech control room is a gadget-geek's paradise with broad computer screens displaying all areas of the campus, including lecture rooms, offices and the wider outdoors. A staff of four including Garfield McClarey, Irene Brown and Winsome Blair operates the room.

"When storm comes, their yard don't see them for days," Smith says of his staff. "We are able to monitor the classrooms and stay on top of whatever happens on the campus. And when we finish expanding our space, we will be able to get more done. We always have to keep adding new software to upgrade our system," he shared.

The estimated cost of the upgrading operations, we were informed, lies in the multi-millions.

"We have to work really hard to make our students feel secure on the campus. And even though we don't have major problems on the campus, security is always a big issue," McClarey said.
In the meantime, Smith says there are plans afoot to set up a police post at the school's main entrance.

"We are having ongoing discussions with the police commissioner and the mayor of Kingston about it. Hopefully, everything will work out and it will be up before the end of the term," Smith revealed. "We are looking into the costs right now. The commissioner is enthusiastic because part of the plan is to make it a model for how community policing should be done. We want to take over Papine so to speak. Later down the road we might branch out into VIP protection because we know we have the capabilities."

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Commish apologises to deputy - Task force turns up at Mark Shields' door with search warrant for Vybz Kartel's house

BY KARYL WALKER Sunday Observer senior reporter walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, September 14, 2008

POLICE Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin had to apologise to his deputy, Mark Shields, after a major blunder by members of a joint police/military task force, who turned up with a search warrant at Shields' Hacienda Way home in Norbrook, St Andrew last Wednesday.

The security team was looking for the home of embattled dancehall DJ, Vybz Kartel, who lives a few houses down the road from Shields.


Wrong House: A security team looking for the home of embattled dancehall DJ, Vybz Kartel, last week turned up with a search warrant at this house belonging to Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Shields. Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin has since apologised to Shields for the blunder. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Shields was reportedly at home with a female companion and his daughter when the cops and soldiers came calling.
A police source said Shields' female companion opened the door and informed the security forces that they were about to raid the deputy commissioner's house.

"They then told the woman that they were looking for Vybz Kartel's house, and asked her if she knew where the house was," the source told the Sunday Observer.

Shields confirmed the incident, but would not comment on his colleagues' gaffe when contacted yesterday.

"I won't comment on the matter," Shields said.

The source said the officers were sent to Shields' address on the orders of a police superintendent, who allegedly insisted that the address was correct, despite queries by the officers under his command. The source said the superintendent was not particularly fond of the deputy police commissioner, but Shields steered clear of stoking any flames of discord.

"I don't have any proof of that," Shields told the Sunday Observer.

The cops and Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) soldiers eventually left without searching Shields' home, and went to the end of the cul-de-sac at Hacienda Way, where they searched the DJ's house and arrested several persons.

Yesterday, head of the joint task force, Assistant Commissioner Owen Ellington refused to comment on the blunder made by the charges under his command.
"I don't know about that," Ellington said.

Vybz Kartel, whose name is Adijah Palmer, was released last Friday evening after being questioned by detectives based at Operation Kingfish, in relation to the murder of Christopher 'Nunu Puss' Miller, whose bullet-riddled body was found dumped near a canefield in St Catherine last week.

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