NO job is considered too grand or too menial for them to do.

A typical day may find the men and women of the Mobile Reserve Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) covered in dust from overseeing a construction site. A few may even require extensive after-sun care from standing guard all day in the punishing heat of the sun.

But whether they are overseeing a construction site at the University of the West Indies, standing guard outside Parliament, quelling riots or hoisting the coffins of famous Jamaicans such as Louise ‘Miss Lou’ Bennett-Coverley, they do so only after completing extensive training, according to Head of the branch, Assistant Commissioner Donald Pusey.

With a mandate that speaks to riots, strikes and public disorder, the Mobile Reserve, which was founded in 1962 in the face of numerous labour disputes, plays an integral role in the JCF’s mission of serving, protecting and reassuring the citizens of Jamaica.

Back then, the special branch was called Strike Force and the idea behind it was for the establishment of a well-trained group that would respond quickly to law and order situations.

Its primary purpose, therefore, was to ensure that public order was maintained and it’s no different today, except that the Reserve’s job description now includes more active crime-fighting in tactical areas. The need for this expansion arose in the 1970s as a direct result of the escalation of crime which occurred at that time.

Spread out across some 20 hectares of land at the intersection of Camp and Deanery roads in the capital city, or ‘Duppy Gate’ as the area is popularly called, the Reserve shares the compound with the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) and the Canine Division of the JCF.

Pusey, who is himself a product of the Reserve, and who has been at the helm since February of this year, told the Observer that “the Mobile Reserve is a nucleus of highly trained men and women who support all other police divisions in Jamaica when so called upon.

“It’s a team which, over the years, has been able to operate efficiently even when we have joint operations with the military,” he said.

The training referred to by ACP Pusey, who also oversees the Special Anti-Crime Task Force (SACTF), is of a tactical nature and includes areas such as the professional handling of firearms, hostage situations, imposition of curfews, roadblocks and barricades, rescue efforts, raids and cordon searches, foot and mobile patrols as well as the performance of static duties which include providing security at the KPH, VIP residences and the House of Parliament.

Pusey, who has 21 years of service in the constabulary, told the Observer that the standards set by the Mobile Reserve are extremely high and as such, for those graduates from the training school in Twickenham Park who are chosen for the special branch, the training doesn’t just end.

“We do tactical and public order training after the initial training at the academy to meet the Mobile Reserve’s standards,” he said.

Apart from high-level training, teamwork is a major focus for the men and women of the support branch.

Senior Superintendent Charles Simpson, in charge of administration and second-in-command at the Harmon Barracks locations, said, “We believe in teamwork; we operate as a team and one thing that is drilled into our heads from training school is that the speed at which we walk or run is that of the slowest man.”

This mindset, coupled with the fact that the lawmen pray together each day prior to being deployed for duty (which often takes them into inner-city communities), makes the Mobile Reserve family a tightly knit group and that, in and of itself, is already an advantage in the tough business of crime fighting.

Against this background, Constable R Stephens who has been stationed at Mobile Reserve for almost two years, told the Observer that other than the effect on his family life, he finds his job rewarding.

“It’s challenging, of course, but pretty good (when I’m not undergoing fire). Where my family’s concerned, that’s where I have a problem – the distance away from them,” he said.

Woman Constable A Flannigan has been with the Reserve for only six months and said so far things are good. “I haven’t come under any challenges as yet but I’m bracing myself for when I get there. I have gone through the training already, which has prepared me for things outside,” she said.

Sergeant Heather McLean, who has 16 years’ service with the Mobile Reserve, noted that the demands of her job are hardest on her family. “I have three children and my youngest daughter is three, so every morning (or night) she asks, ‘Are you coming back?’ …But they understand. I bring them to work sometimes so they know it’s demanding.”

As far as the job itself goes, she said: “It’s up and down; you have good times and bad times, stressful times and fun times too.” She cited outbreaks of violence in depressed areas, curfews from 6 till 6 and the abuse from citizens as examples of the bad times.

The Mobile Reserve, which was given the nicknames “Harmon Bruk-Up” and “Riot Squad” in its early years, serves as the ‘mother oragnisation’ for the SACTF and often joins forces with them as well as the military in carrying out raids and other sting operations.