IN comic description, Jamaicans call them ‘blue seam police’, regarding them as somehow less than the men and women of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the ‘red seam police’. Now, members of the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) are determined to change that public perception.

“We have not been given the due recognition that we deserve,” said Acting Deputy Commandant James Golding. “Now we are on a mission, and what we are doing is we are building a brand – brand ISCF. It will be in keeping with the objectives of the police services, we are not going outside of that, but we are building a brand.”

He added: “Our work and our worth and the relationship we expect to establish with the citizens will help us to build this brand.” A large part of gaining the much-sought-after respect, he said, would be getting the job done despite limited resources. As with the JCF and other state agents, the ISCF has resource challenges.

The 31 new vehicles they got between December 2002 and 2004 are no longer adequate and they have added 40 new cars, uniforms, protective gear and repairs to derelict buildings to their current wish list. A gym and an all-purpose hall that could be used for training sessions at their Harman Barracks location in Kingston would also be nice.

In the meantime, the ‘specials’ have embraced the mandate they were given by Cabinet in 2002, to help restore order in public spaces. It has become their raison d’être.

“We have an opportunity now to show our real worth, to give reason for our existence and you can now measure what we do as against what other persons within the law enforcement community do,” Golding said.

Their performance, he said, spoke volumes.

According to data supplied by the hierarchy, the ISCF issued tickets or made arrests for 31,051 offences between February 14, 2003 and December 3, 2003. At that time, the average strength was 991 special constables. There was no indication of how many of these cases were successfully prosecuted.

Between January 1, 2004 and December 9, 2004, with an average strength of 1,159, the ISCF detected 98,501 offences – more than three times the figures for the year before.

“This is skewed primarily to the offences under the Road Traffic Act, National Solid Waste Management Act, illegal vending, breaches of the Jamaica Tourist Board Act, the Town and Communities Act and dangerous drugs,” said Golding. “These are the areas we have been asked to focus on.”

It’s a delicate balancing act, he said, to get the job done while making sure members of the public were not alienated.

The ISCF intends to learn from the mistakes it has made in the past, as well as those made by the JCF, which has been moving, over the past five years or so, to polish an image tarnished by accusations of the use of excessive force.

“Since we have the experience of the JCF (to go by), we don’t want to make some of the mistakes that were made earlier, and so we have bought into this whole concept of community policing, because we think it can work,” Golding said. “We think we can listen to what the citizens are saying and to develop strategies to deal with whatever problems exist.”

So in addition to aggressively prosecuting those who break the law, the ISCF’s 1,187 special constables (28 per cent of whom are female) are also focused on earning the trust and respect of the man in the street.

“We want to take on board the whole concept of community policing, understanding and respecting the rights of citizens while remaining firm in the carrying out of our duties in the enforcement of law. So we expect that there will be a reciprocal respect coming from the general public,” Golding said.

There have already been noticeable results, he added.

“Many persons have commented to me, and others, about the quality of service we are offering,” Golding said. “It’s all about service, all about sticking to what we say in our mission statement: To serve, and to reassure, with courtesy and with respect for the rights of all.”