BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth – A review body that will among other things look at “the whole structure of pay and reward” for the police force is to be established early in the New Year, National Security Minister Peter Phillips said last week.

Speaking at the opening of a police convalescent home in Black River, Phillips noted that the salary structure review was part of a National Security Strategy that has been presented to Parliament.

“If we want first-rate policing we will have to understand that we need to provide the type of reward that will attract and retain the men and women of dedication and proficiency that we need to serve Jamaica if we are to rid ourselves of this threat of criminality which now stalks the land,” Phillips told an approving audience.

The National Security Strategy also requires a review of the Jamaica Defence Force which Phillips pointed out “was concluded and has already been presented to Parliament”. The strategy also demands a review of the justice system “which is now underway” and of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Phillips said.

Arguing that too many police personnel were being asked “upwards of 70 hours per week and sometimes more”, Phillips said discussions would begin shortly with the Police Federation regarding the implementation of a 40-hour work week. He recalled that the Cabinet had “authorised the increase in the complement of the JCF to raise it to 12,000”, with an initial increase to 10,000.

A process of “fundamentally” upgrading training with the cooperation of tertiary institutions had already started, he said. New standards for improvement in training had been set and a new course design had been established for basic recruit training.

“Beyond that,” said Phillips, “we are going to intensify the availability of service training, our desire to ensure that every single man and woman serving in the JCF constantly has their skills and capacities upgraded not only to maintain their sharpness, but to constantly introduce them to new techniques of policing. The constabulary force that we are seeking to build is one that we expect to be technically adept, proficient in the use of the latest technologies, continuously trained, well rewarded and cared for in relation to all facets of their service.”

Phillips said the $26-million police convalescent home, which was part-funded by a $15 million donation from NCB’s chairman Michael Lee Chin, was “an important step forward” in “rebranding” and placing the police “at the centre of our concern”.

“I am confident that if we operate on the same basis, that is on a basis of trust, goodwill and understanding between all the elements that make up the law enforcement family and if we operate on the basis of the kind of good corporate citizenship that has been manifested by National Commercial Bank, that is we as a country operate on that basis, then we will be able to complete the rest of the journey successfully,” the security minister said.