AS THE recruiting to expand the membership of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) gets under way the quality and not merely quantity of new personnel should be a critical factor to consider. It is noteworthy that Deputy Commissioner Jevene Bent has stated that there will be an aggressive campaign to get some 1,500 new members.
In this connection, it is encouraging to note that already there have been some 300 applications from the University of the West Indies, among other educational institutions which will be targeted in the campaign. This means that it should be possible to get enough recruits above the minimum educational standards of three CXC or O'level passes.
As a matter of historical record, this is a cut above the educational requirement of the constabulary force established in 1867 to replace the old police force which dated from 1834. That new force stipulated that recruits "be able to read, without hesitation any printed or written document and to write a fair hand" - as recorded in the Handbook of Jamaica of 1932.
Given the long history of more than a century, the police force should have kept better pace with modern developments in fighting crime that now spills beyond national borders. In his recent broadcast, the Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, cited the increased sophistication of criminal gangs. This will require higher levels of technical competence in weaponry and forensic science.
The recently concluded salary package is clear indication that existing levels of remuneration were incapable of attracting a higher calibre of recruits over the years. Thus with crime reaching crisis levels it has been found necessary to recruit from abroad officers at the top of the hierarchy of an institution which has had such a long history.
This has proven necessary not only to help improve the investigative skills of local police but also to lessen the likelihood of corruption becoming institutionalised. Foreign policemen are not, ipso facto, possessed of greater integrity. Rather it is that the demands placed on them by their superiors render them less likely to be sucked into a bad way of doing things and they more likely to be insulated from the varying layers of institutional and organisational politics.
The recruitment of sufficient numbers to swell the ranks to 10,000 is scheduled to span some 18 months. So there is no quick fix, except for putting desk-bound policemen on the street and replacing them with some 350 civilians. The training of new recruits must emphasise the need for good relations with the public as a vital part of keeping the peace. The investigative work of the police is undermined in many places by the poor relations between the security forces and the community. Efforts have been made but must be accelerated to improve on police/community relations.
Where there is antagonism and mutual suspicion or disrespect the only persons who benefit are the criminals.
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