This JCF Officers' Release Has Serious Implications!!!

The following below my comments is a release from the Police Officers' Association questioning certain comments by the Minister of National Security and stating actions that they plan to take. 

The Commissioner of Police and the police force members are servants of the people. The Commissioner of Police holds a public office. The people's representatives in the house of parliament which includes the Minister responsible for National Security, must be free to comment on the performance of the Commissioner and the members of the police force.. The JCF is not above the parliament and the people of this country.

This release is causing me to have some major concerns. The fact that other senior officers will accompany the Commissioner to the Minister's officer can be seen as a form of intimidation. Who will hold them accountable for leaving the jobs and going to the Minister's office?

The Commissioner of Police right to take certain operational decision should not be above question by our political leaders nor the citizens of this country.

If the JCF fails the people are going to hold  the government responsible for this failure. Probably now is the time to have a new and restructured police force which is answerable to the people. Those who do not perform from the level of the Commissioner down to the constable should be told so. If any member of the force is not performing at the required standard then that person should be asked to pack their bags and go. With the level of crime in the country and the lack of accountability we need to crack the whip NOW! We have had enough!

We are heading down a dangerous road. That police sick-out during the recent holidays is not going down well with citizens of this country. The inept dealing with a party which caused the Palisadoes road leading to our International Airport has put a serious blotch on our record of handling difficult situations. The blocking of this road must have cost millions of dollars with flights being delayed, passengers and airline crew having to remain longer in Jamaica, and the cost of gas for vehicles which were held up in traffic I understand up to four hours.

The only way forward for the JCF is by improved performance although remunerations for some officers are low and the working conditions are deplorable at some police stations. The citizens of the country are fast losing confidence in the JCF.

Their attitude towards INDECOM is not going down well with the public either. It is because of the behaviour of some officers and the lack of respect for human rights why INDECOM was formed. 

I am advising the Commissioner of Police to instruct his colleagues not to accompany him to the Minister's office. To my friends in the JCF I close my comments by saying, trod CAREFULLY!!!

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PRESS RELEASE

The Police Officers’ Association is extremely concerned about the serious distractions from the management of major crimes that have occurred in recent times. This has negatively impacted the office of the Commissioner of Police and the morale of the officer corps. Some of these distractions are manifested in the communication method used by the office of the Minister of National Security to the Commissioner of Police; which seems to be done directly through media engagement and the direct interference of the Minister in the operations portfolio of the Commissioner of Police. We are particularly concerned about communications made about:

Ø  Promotions within the JCF

Ø  The handling of the entertainment event held on New Year’s Day in the vicinity of the Palisadoes Strip and;

Ø  The direct interference in the distribution of vehicles within the JCF

These actions are likely to derail the law enforcement strategies of the Commissioner of Police, aimed at crime control; and have affected the morale of our officer corps which is a major concern for the Police Officers’ Association. We therefore urge the Ministry of National Security to apply the protocol and dignity required to communicate with the office of the Commissioner of Police and to desist from creating major distractions that have impacted the management of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

The Police Officers’ Association was informed via the media that the Commissioner was summoned to a meeting by the Minister of National Security on Monday, January 08, 2018. The Executive of the Police Officers’ Association will accompany our commissioner to the office of the Minister of National Security and will await his exit from the meeting.