‘Living a cop’s dream’

Western Bureau:

Constable Monique Ann Bartley, of the Hanover Police Division, will be the Area One representative in the 2025 LASCO/Jamaica Constable Force’s (JCF) Saluting Our Heroes Awards, formerly the LASCO Top Cop competition, which will take place at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston next Friday.

At the event, which will be staged under the theme, ‘Transforming through People, Quality, Technology (PQT): Strengthening our People; Strengthening our Bonds; Strengthening our Jamaica,’ 158 police personnel will be awarded for their service in what is a year of events to mark the 168th anniversary of the JCF.

Bartley was among 10 police personnel from the Hanover division, who were assessed by a panel of judges for the position of Hanover representative to the face-off for the Area One title. At the end of that phase, where the contenders were quizzed on community involvement, knowledge of the JCF, local and international affairs and professionalism, she came out as the selected officer to represent the Hanover division in the competition.

At the Area One stage of the competition, where she came up against the representatives from St James, Trelawny and Westmoreland, Bartley again came out on top, earning her the right to represent the west against the other five JCF area winners, where she is confident she will walk away with the title.

At the national level, Bartley believes she acquitted herself very well and is now awaiting October 24 when the grand announcement of the winner will take place.

Speaking with The Gleaner, Bartley, who is stationed at the Hopewell Police Station, where she is assigned to the Community Safety and Security (CSS) Branch, said the journey from being selected in Hanover to moving on to success at the Area One level was a rewarding experience.

“It has been a learning experience for me so far, being exposed to a communication skills workshop and other areas of learning that this initiative has pushed one into,” she said. “It (the competition) has caused me to interact with some wonderful officers across the island, as we fulfil an itinerary of courtesy calls and visits to important people and places.”

Bartley, who is a native of Hanover, said the overall experience has been highly beneficial to her, and that “I am now living a police officer’s dream”.

Describing herself as “a proud Hanoverian”, she said she is past student of both the Sandy Bay Primary and the Hopewell High schools.

She said her work as a policewoman has been made even more interesting due to the fact that she is working in her home parish and gets the opportunity to do something productive and beneficial for that parish.

“It is my intention to represent the people of Hanover, the Hanover Police Division and the JCF Area 1 to the best of my ability,” she said, noting that she is very passionate about her present duties within the CSS branch of the JCF.

As it relates to the LASCO/JCF Saluting Our Heroes Awards, she said that, for her, it is not just a competition, but an event showcasing excellence in the JCF.

“We (the competitors) are just showcasing the greatness of the JCF,” she said, noting that even before the big announcement, all the entrants are winners in their own rights, as they have all benefited along the journey, learning for from each other and those they have interacted with.

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