ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Leon Rose says Grant’s Pen in Kingston is well on its way to becoming a model inner-city community, with the launch of a police youth courtesy campaign.

“This can give hope to many other young people and bring hope to many other communities, because this is a step in the right direction,” Rose told Wednesday’s launch of the programme at the intersection of Grant’s Pen and Shortwood roads.

Grant’s Pen has, over the years, earned a reputation as a tough inner-city community, which has provided shelter to some of the capital’s most hardened criminals.

But Rose is hoping that the new campaign, aimed at fostering mutual courtesy between the police and the community, to improve the relationship between the groups and build trust, will help to change the community.

The police had, however, started the groundwork through the work of officers at the recently opened Grant’s Pen Police Station, which has placed strong emphasis on community policing.

The 30-day police youth courtesy campaign was one of the suggestions that emerged from a ‘Come Mek We Reason’ rap session organised by the police youth relations focus group. The session, which took place in the community on June 1, involved members from the Dispute Resolution Foundation, the police force and residents.

Rose, who acknowledged that the actions of some cops had contributed to the breakdown in police/community relations, said he was well aware that the youth may be also victims of police discourtesy.

“This is why we want to use opportunities such as these to extend the olive branch, and show that we as police mean well for the youth of Jamaica,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rochelle Gilzene, president of the Grant’s Pen Youth Club Development Committee (YCDC), told JIS News that young people in the community have been responding more favourably to the police since the establishment of the community policing facility at 35 Shortwood Road.

She explained that as part of the drive, a “courtesy box” would be established at the police centre so that the youth could nominate officers who show them respect, and for the police to also identify youngsters who they have found to be courteous.

An awards ceremony will be held in the community to recognise the most courteous youth and police.

The police youth relations focus groups are part of the Jamaica Social Policy Evaluation Unit (JASPEV), which operates from the Cabinet Office.

The courtesy campaign is governed by the Code of Conduct for Police Citizens Relations in Jamaica, which came out of an Inner-city Leadership Committee, convened by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce in 1998. Pocket-sized copies of the Code of Conduct were distributed at the launch.