Culture, image of force need to change - Bunting

Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer

ALEXANDRIA, St Ann:MINISTER OF National Security Peter Bunting has said it is important that the image of the Jamaica Constabulary Force is seen in a positive light in order to aid the fight against crime.

At the same time, Bunting, said at the opening of the new Alexandria Police Station in St Ann that the

'informer-fi-dead' culture needs to change to one where informers are viewed as heroes who help to saves lives.

Speaking Friday afternoon at the opening of the $38.5-million facility, Bunting said, "It's very important that the image of the force is not seen only as the gentlemen in the denim fatigues with ballistic vests and helmets and rifles patrolling tough inner-city communities, but also be seen as the community persons that you feel comfortable playing dominoes with, comes to your sports days at high school, and are generally integrated into the community..." Bunting said.

The minister revealed that during his tour of an inner-city community on Ash Wednesday, he was struck by comments from a woman who said her seven-year-old grand-daughter fears the police and runs away each time she sees them.

Building mutual trust

"That is something that we absolutely have to change," said Bunting.

He added: "And that is going to be part of the challenge of the political leadership to provide that interface to ensure that in your communities part of your leadership responsibility is to get the community to understand that the police are partners with the community, and that the police should almost be seen like a... loved member of the family that hopefully in time to come, not too far from now, when that seven-year-old, she might be eight by that time, sees a policeman coming, she runs out and greets him and hugs him up, because that's the sort of orientation we want our children to have ... ."

And addressing the 'informer-fi-dead' culture that typifies Jamaica, Bunting described it as "one of the most dysfunctional elements, a part of the subculture of violence that we have allowed to grow in Jamaica over the last 40 years".

"It's one of the elements of our culture that we must confront, and we must challenge it and rebuke it. Culture can change, sometimes it moves in a negative direction and we can reverse that and move back in a positive direction.

"One of the things we want to start encouraging people to understand and relate to is the informer as hero and partner with the police to save lives and to save property and to save harm coming to the community."

Bunting said his ministry was designing a new communication campaign with the tag line 'Silence Brings Violence' as the Government seeks to let people understand that everyone has a responsibility to tackle crime.

rural@gleanerjm.com