PAYNE AVENUE in Kingston is an inner-city community in transition, and at the heart of the turnabout are officers of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
When violence flared in the community in December 2002 the Jamaica Constabulary Force retaliated in a manner that has won it accolades from Caribbean counterparts. The JCF has captured first place in category two of the annual community policing award sponsored by Motorola and the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP).
This is the second time that the JCF has won the competition, which began in 2002. The first victory was with the 'Second Chance Project', which focused on inner-city kids and was funded by the Kellog Foundation.
LEVEL OF INCREASE
Senior Superintendent Linberg Simpson, of the JCF's community relations arm who headed the intervention, says it was the "increasing level of lawlessness in the community" that drew the keepers of the law. He painted a picture of a community from which a "large number of government agencies had withdrawn their services because of fear for their own security," and a community where residents were unable to move about freely.
Furthermore, he says, the statistics revealed there were nine cases of homicide and numerous cases of rape. "The Police High Command, having evaluated the situation, determined that we had to take a different approach to policing in that particular community and so large numbers of police officers were assigned to that community on the first of November 2002," a move followed by conferences with the media and community people on the "perceived problems and objectives," Senior Superintendent Simpson says.
From then, he says the community was flushed with police officers on foot, which he says helped to create a level of security and calm in the community, resulting in the 'trouble makers' deserting the community and 'wanted men' being apprehended.
Accompanying the operations to clamp down on criminal activities was a social intervention programme funded by a number of corporate entities.
It was not long before the JCF could "discern the change in the attitudes of the people towards the police," despite an icy reception.
STRENGTH
To strengthen the pact, a football match was organised in which the community's football team trumped the police, winning the trophy and prizes. "We think it helped to lift the self-esteem of the youngsters and helped them to see themselves in another light," he states, adding that one of the identified causes of problems in inner-city communities was the low level of self-esteem.
The crowning glory of the effort was the multi-purpose sport complex built from 'phase one' of some $20 million allocated to assist the police's anti-crime drive and social intervention programmes by the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund.
Senior Superintendent Simpson explains that this was because the community identified the lack of a suitable place for recreation as one of its 'greatest needs'. He says the second phase of the project will see seating and bathroom facilities being added. Continuing their efforts, the officers refurbished the basic school in the area providing them with a refrigerator and other amenities.
There is a working partnership between the police and the teachers of the Haile Selassie Comprehensive High School in the area to aid some 75 students who were identified as 'slow learners'. With the aid of corporate Jamaica an after school programme was also developed for youngsters who displayed potential but lacked a proper place to complete their assignments and did not have the necessary support systems at home.
In 2003 there were only two homicides in the area without a single case of rape. Senior Superintendent Simpson says there has also been a reduction in the number of disputes, which, he says could be attributed to the JCF's attempt to teach mediation skills.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
There is an active Boy Scout and Girl Guide movement, and a soon-to-be-established Police Youth Club. The community's marching band has received much attention and has been contracted to perform at the Denbigh Agri-Industrial Show in August this year. The Senior Superintendent says due to the improved relationship between the police and the citizenry and the relative absence of tension they have been able to remove some of the officers who were on duty in the area to redeploy them elsewhere.
This is the second time that the JCF has won the competition, which began in 2002. The first victory was with the 'Second Chance Project', which focused on inner-city kids and was funded by the Kellog Foundation.
