CHIEF chaplain of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Dr Vivian Panton is urging members of the force to continue performing their duties without compromising the professional standards of their office, despite the killing of two cops and injury to five since the start of the new year.

“I know that they have it within them to journey through this experience without being adversely affected, or affecting their oath of office,” Panton told the Observer on Monday, adding that in the past cops have had to face similar challenging situations.

“This is not something new to them, on numerous occasions they have weathered more difficult and turbulent times as far as threats to their safety and security go,” Panton said.

He told the Observer that police officers have been expressing fear and concern about what appears to be an aggressive targeting of cops by criminal elements.

” .when the chaplains meet with them in groups as a result of these incidents, these expressions will be made. The fear will be there, the questions will be there, and the concerns will be there,” said Panton.

Since the beginning of January, two cops have been shot dead within hours of each other, and five injured in seven separate incidents across the island.

Panton, however, warned against attempts by officers to bottle up any negative emotions that they might be experiencing due to the recent spate of attacks against police officers.

“Retention of stress and trauma at that level, for him to bottle it up in his system, it is going to take its toll on him, it is going to affect him somehow. Trauma and critical incident stress, if a person bottles that up, it is going to have some far-reaching effects down the road if not immediately,” Panton said.

Against this background, Panton said that members of the Force Chaplaincy have been making significant efforts to provide psychological assistance by visiting families and the locations where the men were stationed and having sessions with their colleagues.

“In light of what has been happening since the start of the year, the chaplains have been pretty proactive in visiting the families because it is not just the police, the families are (also) affected very seriously by these things,” said Panton.

Panton also noted that in recent months more police officers have been coming forward to seek psychological assistance, putting aside the fear of being ostracised or being seen as weak.

“What I find is that increasingly that approach or attitude (of reluctant cops) is breaking down, because one person comes to the chaplain and that person is helped, and that person goes out and shares with other persons the extent to which they have been helped. Increasingly that attitude is simply giving way,” Panton told the Observer.

Panton’s sentiments were shared by consultant psychologist to the JCF Dr George Leveridge.

“When we go out and we start to discuss with them the services that are available, the options which are available, people are becoming more sensitive to what is available to them and they are recognising that it is actually okay to talk. Counselling does not mean that you are weak, or that you can’t handle a problem, it just means that you need a helper to help handle a situation,” Leveridge said.

“They have a lot of support and I feel that they appreciate the support and I believe that they will continue to utilise the service,” he added.

davisv@jamaicaobserver.com