WESTERN BUREAU:
AS PART of it efforts to sensitise and to educate its members on executing their duties, the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) has launched a series of workshops in the parishes of St. James, Hanover and Trelawny.
The workshops, which began yesterday at the Freeport Police Station in Montego Bay, will be running for the next two weeks as officers from the ISCF familiarise themselves to the new duties assigned to them by government recently.
"What we are doing is educating and sensitising our members so that they are prepared when they go out to execute their new duties," Commandant Rankin F. Clarke told The Gleaner.
In June 2002, Government announced in Parliament that it would expand the role of the ISCF to include taking the lead role in maintaining public order and take up the duties of other quasi-policing and auxiliary bodies such as traffic wardens, environmental, forestry and agricultural wardens.
The ISCF is also to assume responsibility for combating praedial larceny, illegal sale of petroleum, illegal vending, illegal taxi operators and the municipal policing of towns and cities around the island.
"So we are preparing our members so that in executing they offer the quality service that is needed by the public," Commandant Clarke said.
He added that some of the areas to be discussed over the course of the next two weeks include report writing, court procedures, money management, the power of search and arrest, beach control among others. Various acts including, the Public Health Act, the Watershed Protection Act, the Wildlife Protection Act, the Mining and Quarry Act among others will also be studied and discussed, Commandant Clarke pointed out.
He stressed that the ISCF in the three parishes would be placing special emphasis on the issue of praedial larceny. "You know praedial larceny is a big problem," the Commandant noted. "We are in consultation with the Jamaica Agricultural Society and we are preparing a receipt book for farmers to register their produce." He said that if one of the officers from ISCF stops a vehicle with farm produce and the driver of the vehicle is unable to produce the receipt book to verify the goods are legal, he could be arrested.
