Assistant Commissioner of Police Leon Rose has appealed to the public for support in the constabulary’s long-standing salary dispute with the government.

At the same time, ACP Rose has chided those who he said believe the recruitment of foreign cops will solve Jamaica’s crime problems.

Addressing a Rotary Club of Ocho Rios meeting last Wednesday night at the Sand Castles Resort, ACP Rose said the issue of salary is one of the challenges affecting the police force at this time.

“The public’s voice needs to be heard; you need to say to the authorities it is full time to bring the salary negotiations to an end,” Rose said.

He argued that with salary negotiations out of the way, the police would then be able to fully concentrate on their responsibilities.

But despite the stalemate in the wage talks, Rose said members of the police force have not shirked from their responsibilities and drew reference to last week’s disturbance at Mountain View, saying the police had to be there to ensure the residents were protected and law and order maintained.

Last Tuesday, several frightened residents fled the Jacques Road community in Mountain View, Kingston after gunmen shot dead a three-month-old baby and three women within 24 hours.

The area was placed under curfew following the incident.

ACP Rose’s comments on the wage row followed a call from the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party for Prime Minister P J Patterson to intervene in the dispute, following the collapse of the latest round of negotiations on September 23.

This led to the police vowing to boycott any further wage discussions with junior finance minister Fitz Jackson. According to the Police Federation, Jackson was not in a position to take any decisions at these talks.

On Wednesday, Rose said cops were not adequately compensated in terms of the tasks they have to perform. And while he conceded that the economy could not, at this time, give the men and women of the constabulary the compensation they justly deserve, he said it was his view that the government could do much better.

Rose said the current wage dispute was not in the best interest of the public, as it was not good for the country’s security when the police force is locked in a salary ‘battle’ with the government.

Turning to the issue of the recruitment of overseas police officers, Rose criticised some persons in the society who, he said, believed the move was a panacea.

“There are some in the society who believe the mere recruitment of foreign cops will automatically solve the crime problem, it’s a big mistake,” Rose said.

He said that while he supported the recruitment of overseas help and was ‘very grateful’ for the relationship between Jamaica, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, there were far more complexities that have to be dealt with.

Rose also pointed to the area of crime management, which, he said, was critical if the country’s fight against crime is to be a success.

The issues related to crime management that need to be addressed, Rose disclosed, relate to necessary resources for the police to function effectively, the criminal justice system, and the penal institutions.