AIR Jamaica’s chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart has commended the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for its role in helping to curb crime and violence.

Stewart, who has often pressured the government to properly tackle Jamaica’s crime problem, said in recent times he has felt safer.

“I am sure it can be a lonely job and I am sure that at many times you folks question yourselves. But do me a favour, at any time that you might be questioning yourself, don’t change your mind…Jamaica more than ever right now needs excellence in the police force,” Stewart told the group of police officers who attended the Constabulary Communications Network’s (CCN) inaugural awards banquet at the Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Friday night.

“Thank you for making me feel safe and in recent times, especially, in making me feel safer,” he said.

Stewart also lauded finance minister, Omar Davies, for allocating a bigger slice of the national budget to the force.

“I think that has to be respected in these times,” he noted.

Stewart argued that economic success would remain elusive if the country failed to tap into every available resource to combat the problem of crime and violence.

“The economics that we all look for will never come in any kind of force until we get on top of this crime that has spiralled out of all levels of control and we cannot get on top of that crime until people take advantage of every help we can get — even if it is overseas; of all the additional equipment that the government can afford elsewhere, and of the training that is so much a part of any police force,” he argued.

Turning to the recent Daily Mirror article, which painted Air Jamaica as a major carrier of drugs to the UK, Stewart praised the police for bringing what he said was “a level of credibility” to the debate by providing figures to prove that British Airways suffered equally from the problem of drug smuggling as did Jamaica’s national airline.

“It is the police that came in with their statistics and their figures to say look, both airlines are trying, both airlines have the same problem and both airlines are caught in the problem because both of them are transporting roughly about the same in terms of the drug people that the British press has reported on so negatively,” he said.

“The police brought a level of credibility…and by so doing, we will be able to get that message out better and better to the wider communities of the British travelling public…,” he added.

However, Stewart was quick to point out that this was a “rear-guard” measure as “the bad picture has already been painted” of the country. “We cannot afford this kind of publicity,” he said.

Several police officers were honoured on Friday night for their work with CCN, the public relations arm of the JCF.

Among those person receiving awards were:

* Sergeant Royen Brown, who was recognised for outstanding performance as a Police Control agent.

* Corporal Dian Bartley was named most outstanding liaison officer.

* Corporal Angella Williams and Constable Alecia Stewart got the award for most effective team of liaison officers.

* Senior Superintendent Owen Ellington was awarded the Blue Mountain Bicycle Tours Award for being the officer at the divisional level most supportive of the CCN.

* Senior Superintendent Anthony Hewitt got the CCN award for most supportive non-divisional officer.

* Deputy Commissioner Tilford Johnson was named most supportive officer.

* Corporal Dahlia Garrick was recognised for being the most customer service-oriented CCN member of staff for 2001 and the most outstanding member of CCN for 2001.

* Corporal Troy Anderson was named improved member of the CCN for the year 2001.