'We inherited a glorified security guard system', Chang says of JCF

A repeal of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Act and replacing it with a modern Police Service Act is being touted as the first bold step in any meaningful effort to achieve policing that will deliver sustained crime reduction and a more peaceful and just society.

This was the main takeaway from the presentation of some of the findings of the report titled: From Force to Service: Reforming the Jamaican Police held at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, in St Andrew on Wednesday.

The report is the result of a study done by Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) in partnership with the Institute of Criminal Justice and Security (ICSJ) and is one of five to be conducted under a two-year agreement with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).

DFID is providing funding for the studies.

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, who was one of four panellists for the subsequent discussion, put into perspective the over-riding factor for the failed state of the 151-year old JCF, despite the many attempts at transformation.

“We have inherited a glorified security guard system which was largely designed to protect the property of property owners where we trained them for six months in military drill, gave them some discipline, gave them a big pine baton and a Lee Enfield rifle and then we complain that they shoot or beat up somebody,” Chang said.

“Ridiculous! I mean, that’s’ all they have been taught to do,” Chang told the audience, before going on to explain the new thrust of his administration.

“Now we have to re-orient that, retrain and restructure the force to accommodate the young professionals who are interested in law enforcement. We have the people out there and I must provide the legal framework. I must provide the policy and I have to re-orient our finance because all of this is going cost money,” said Chang.

For Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson however, while legislation is an important aspect of the much-needed guidelines for transformation, there is a need for deeper analysis to first identify some of the root causes and the intangible systemic deficiencies that have plagued the JCF since its inception in 1867.

 “The issues that face the police force are a lot more sophisticated and nuanced than I think people give credit for. It’s easy to go and do something and end up in a few years back where you are (now). Until we understand that beyond structures and systems, there is no pool of Jamaicans that is exclusively recruited from to become police officers,” Anderson noted.

“They are the same people that we recruit for elsewhere, so they have the same potential for good and for bad as everyone else in the society. So the questions of what some of the issues are have to be looked at in a far more nuanced and sophisticated way,” he added.

christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com

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