FOLLOWING THE preliminary process, 22 rank-and-file officers from Areas One to Eight will contest the 2003 LASCO Police Officer of the Year Awards, which will be presented next January.
The candidates' ranks range from inspector to constable. From this group, eight Area level winners will be selected and their names announced at an awards ceremony in October. The 2003/2004 top cop will then be chosen from the group of eight.
Speaking at the recent ceremony held at The Ruins, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, to announce the short-listed officers, general manager of LASCO Foods Limited, Teri Thomas, was full of praise for the divisional winners. She also heaped praise on all members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for their achievements and lamented the fact that the many strides which the Force had been making in recent years, with respect to modernisation and reform, community policing and crime management, were now being overshadowed by the misguided deeds of a few members.
Mrs. Thomas made special mention of the progress being made in recruitment, transformation of police guardrooms, tertiary level accreditation for the Police Staff College and the appointment of the Force's first female Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Jevene Bent challenged the divisional winners to separate themselves from those members of the Force who had forgotten the code of service, "protection and reassurance", which they had once sworn to uphold, and had sacrificed their integrity for 'a few dollars'.
LASCO'S COMMITMENT
She also thanked Lascelles Chin and his LASCO team for their uncompromised support of the police and thanked the members of the public who had not allowed themselves to be misguided into casting unfair criticisms at the members of the Force.
The Police Officer of the Year programme is one that seeks to reward a police officer from the rank of constable to inspector, whose professional conduct and community involvement has distinguished him/her as an officer of note. The 2003 LASCO/JCF Police Officer of the Year will receive $100,000 plus the LASCO Trophy, while the runner-up will receive $50,000 and a trophy.
A special feature of this year's programme is the award for Rookie of the Year that will go to one of the divisional awardees, at the rank of constable. That person will receive a cash prize, as well as an educational incentive, courtesy of the LASCO Group.
