MANDEVILLE, Manchester – Faced by the stark reality of inadequate police numbers, the Jamaican Government is prepared to accept help from “willing” and “trained” Jamaicans, including private security personnel, in combating criminals, says National Security Minister Dwight Nelson.

“One of the avenues that we are exploring is to go out there and find those citizens who are willing, who are able, who are trained to bring them into the fight (against) crime.” Nelson told a crime forum at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville last Thursday night.

Nelson said the situation was made especially urgent by the slow rate of growth in numbers in the regular Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). The police force is aiming at filling an establishment of 12,000, but currently the complement is only about 8,500. The JCF is supported by auxiliary forces – 1,700 members of the Island Special Constabulary Force and about 1,500-1,600 district constables.

Despite Jamaica’s horrific annual murder rate of an average 1,500 in a population of about 2.6 million, the country is said to have one of the lowest police-to-population ratios in the English speaking Caribbean.

“As you know, we don’t have the numbers in the police force.,” Nelson told a packed hall. “We train about 300 officers each year and we lose about 200 each year so the net increase to the police force is not very significant. So the numbers in the police force are not adequate to fight crime. We have established an ideal cadre of around 12,000. I am not even sure if even that will be adequate.” the minister said as he sought to explain the need for innovation.

“.private security guards are one sector many of whom are properly trained, many of whom are trained in the use of firearms, we are going to have to enlist their support in assisting the fight against crime,” said Nelson.

He explained that an MOU was being developed to formalise the relationship with private security companies. A check with a National Security Ministry source yesterday revealed that an MOU signed by the previous People’s National Party (PNP) Government with private security entities in the early 2000’s existed. But the source said it was felt that there was a need to “revisit” the arrangement as part of an effort to maintain a “standard approach”.

In October, news broke that a group describing itself as M Central Watch had highly controversial plans to hunt down criminals in Manchester as a response to the surge in crime in this south central parish. The minister made no reference to that group in his public utterances on Thursday night.