Michael Abrahams | I stand with Corporal Rohan James

While speaking at the thanksgiving service for the life of slain police officer Constable Damien Blair on July 15, Police Federation Chairman Corporal Rohan James gave the Police High Command a tongue-lashing. He chided his superiors for allegedly failing to have overtime payments made to rank-and-file police personnel, despite the Government approving this to be done.

The consequence? Interdiction. James was cited for his remarks, and the disciplinary action was severe. His pay will be cut by 25 per cent with immediate effect. He is to cease duties with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), hand over his identification card and all government-issued property in his possession, not leave the island without the permission of the governor general, and provide two months’ notice of planned travel with the senior superintendent in charge of the division. He is also to give all contact details to the police and updates if and when changes are made to his place of abode. This is serious stuff.

I understand the perspective of those who disapproved of Corporal James’ actions. Some believe that there is a time and place for everything, and that venting at a thanksgiving service and expressing disapproval with his superiors was inappropriate. I get that. But I stand with him.

The principle that rules should be followed and respected is well appreciated. But what do you do when you go through the proper channels and do not achieve the desired results, are ignored, or even disrespected? What does a leader do in a situation like this?

Corporal James is the chairman of the Jamaica Police Federation. He represents the rank-and-file members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and there are many. Our police force has approximately 15,000 members.

VULNERABLE

Our cops, while charged with protecting us, are vulnerable. They are operating in a very hostile environment. Our murder rate is consistently in the top five globally. We are now number two, behind El Salvador. In 2015 we were number one. Last year almost 1,500 people were killed here. People are getting slaughtered here at a rate comparable with a country at civil war.

According to the 2023 World Population Review, we are also ranked 10th on the global list of countries with the highest crime rates, despite a 20 per cent decrease in murders and other major crimes for the first quarter of the year. The lives of our cops are constantly in danger. Every time a member of the JCF puts on their uniform, leaves their home, and hits the street, they become a potential target. There are limitations regarding the types of weapons they can use, but the criminal elements they face have none.

Not only are our cops vulnerable regarding their physical safety, but their mental health is also at risk. Research in this country has found that there is already an elevated level of mental illness in our population, and the incidence in our police force is likely to be higher than average. Exposure to violence, poor working conditions and suboptimal salaries increase the risk of them suffering from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental issues. And the fact that our cops are not well paid makes them vulnerable to corruption. This is not a justification for it but merely a fact.

CHANGE STRATEGY

So, if you are in a leadership position, charged with looking after and protecting the people you are assigned to lead, and they are being disrespected, as our police have been, you change your strategy, even if it places you at risk.

We celebrate iconic figures such as Paul Bogle, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. They represented vulnerable people and initially obeyed rules. But when people in positions of authority above them ignored their pleas, they broke the rules for the benefit of their people, even though they all suffered severe consequences, such as imprisonment, execution or assassination. But the people they led benefited.

To withhold overtime pay from our cops is unconscionable. It is cruel and disgusting. These people put their lives on the line for us every day. They deserve better. They were being ignored. But James had a platform and used it to full effect. Many Jamaicans were unaware that our cops were being denied overtime pay. They were due in April. It is now August. After James’ utterances, we all know now and have been made aware of how neglectful the Police High Command has been.

We also see the High Command’s vindictive behaviour. James’ punishment is excessive, oppressive and unjust. He is being treated like a common criminal for stridently advocating, as he should, for men and women of the force who are demotivated and upset about not receiving the remuneration due to them, and are muzzled and unable to speak out for themselves.

James took one for the team, and I fully, wholeheartedly and unequivocally support him and hope the men and women of the force receive their overtime pay, which they fully deserve.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @mikeyabrahams.