Michael Lorne
Phyllis Thomas, News Editor
Long hair freaky people need not apply.
Noh waan no ole neaga noh Rastafari Ras Karbi
THE advertising blitz to attract new members to the Police Force is on in earnest but there is one group of Jamaicans who the Jamaica Constabulary Force is not in a hurry to admit in its midst. The Rastafarians.
The Police Force is seeking to add 1,000 members to its ranks in 18 months, however, Rastafarians need not apply. There is no vacancy for them as long as they continue to wear long hair and as long as they continue to smoke ganja.
The regulations governing the police require that they be clean shaved, Deputy Superintendent A. J. Forbes said, dismissing the idea of them joining the Force. And he remained steadfast in pronouncement even when challenged that this could be seen as discriminatory. "You could argue the same thing, that we discriminate against short persons because the Force has a height stipulation as well," the head of the Constabulary Communication Network said.
But Superintendent Paul Ferguson, course director at the Staff College at Twicken-ham Park, St. Catherine, was more profound in his reasoning. Considering the culture of the Rastas who see the Force as Babylon, he doubts if they would be considered and he doubts if the Rastas would want to be associated with the police in that way.
"There would be a conflict of interest," he said, emphasising that these were his personal views. "If you look at their history, ganja is used as a sacrament and that is against the law. In recruiting we carry out antecedent report and if we find that they used ganja, we would not accept them," he said.
So the Jamaica Constabulary Force is not about to follow the lead of the London Metropolitan Police Force, who, in its bid to counter perceptions of racism in the Force has made a policy shift. Not only is it allowing Muslim women who are police officers to wear their hajibs and Sikh policemen to wear their turbans, it is reviewing its policy on the length of hair to allow Rastafarians to join the Force.
An article published in The Sunday Gleaner on December 1 last year said that the developments were reflected in discussions at the third annual Metropolitan Police Diversity Conference held in London, April last year. At that conference, it said, Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Blair urged the 500 delegates to become an all-inclusive organisation.
And The Mail in Britain reported last September that a seven-member team of Rasta-zfarian peace officers were going on patrols with local police officers in Handsworth, Birmingham, to improve the relationship between the police and black communities.
Although they have no powers of arrest, they accompany the local police on foot patrols and in police cars. And a police inspector was quoted as saying that they even helped the local police with one arrest involving ganja.
They have their own uniforms of military-style khaki tunics and trousers, the report said, with green gold and red stripes down the side of the legs, worn with green, gold and red belts. Berets cover their locks.
But even though the police in Jamaica seem rigid in their rejection of Rastafarians and even though the entire Rasta movement still eye the police with chronic suspicion, some believe they could play a role alongside the police, especially in community policing. With their locks intact, that is.
"It could broker community relations in inner-city communities," Eva Gordon who describes himself as a new-age Rasta said. "...Yes, if Rasta is allowed to become police it would broker distrust between the people and the police...to a certain extent. It's a good idea but the orientation of the Force doesn't give any leeway. The Force would have to recondition itself so people can see it as people friendly and transparent in the approach in how it deals with people."
Another Rastafarian, Clarence Edwards, said, "I will support anything that will break the cycle of lawlessness and murder in the society... But it is how you use it and it is the people you recruit. You can't recruit gunmen and put them in uniforms and expect good."
However, Michael Lorne, a lawyer and Rastarafian, believes that Rastafarians would not be willing to join "any unit that brutlise people", adding that the history of police atrocity where Rastafarians were concerned was still deep in their minds.
But even with their deep-rooted mistrust of the police and the police's own at-arms-length-attitude, there are, already, members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who are Rastafarians, the Rastas say.
"I know of Rasta police," said Mr. Lorne. "They don't have locks but they draw chalice. "He said that there are some very "black-conscious members of the Force", some of them senior officers who even bought from him, books on the Rasta to make gifts when they travel abroad.
Eva Gordon said, "I know of men who are Rastas but who trim and become police. But I don't know if they have become Babylon...but they still smoke ganja."
So would any of these Rastafarians cut their locks and join the Police Force?
A resounding and emphatic No!
But if the Force relaxed it rules to allow them in with their locks would they join?
"I would have to do some serious brooding (over that). The police have not been people friendly," Mr. Gordon said.
"We have some good relationship with some members of the Force but as a unit and the principle that guide that Force, I would not support it or would be joining it," Michael Lorne said.
Ironically, several days after the interview with Eva Gordon, thieves broke into his house in Stony Hill. The incident happened between 10 and 11 o'clock at night and he said he went to the Stony Hill Police Station to report the incident. However, up to 1:00 p.m., the following day, he said he was still at home waiting on the police to come to the crime scene at his house.
"How can we deal with a Police Force which is so tardy?" he asked.
