The Salvation Army's Caribbean affairs are now in the control of a new boss. He's Colonel Onal Castor, a native of Haiti who has been an officer of the Salvation Army for more than 30 years.

Castor took on the post of territorial commander on May 1 this year after doing stints in Africa, North America and the Eastern Caribbean.

"I am really excited about this new opportunity and I'm looking forward to continuing the positive work that the Salvation Army is doing in Jamaica and the region," he said.

As territorial commander, Castor is in charge of the army's affairs in 16 countries, including parts of Central and South America. He is based at Waterloo Road in St Andrew.

He said the Salvation Army's greatest challenge in the region and in Jamaica specifically is coming up with financial resources to meet the growing need.

"With the state of the economy, there has been a definite increase in the number of people seeking our assistance. More people are turning to us for help. While we haven't seen a reduction in donations, we will need to receive more in order to meet the increased need."

That, and helping in whatever way possible to tackle the nation's growing crime problem are on Castor's list of things to do as he starts what he predicts will be a productive tenure.