Kudos for the JCF
Dear Editor,
Shortly before midday on March 30, my staff and I were held up at gunpoint at the cambio we operate in Clocktower Plaza, Half-Way-Tree. At the end of the ordeal the gunmen escaped with a large amount of cash. And while some staff members were traumatised, fortunately and most important, no one was hurt.
I have been in the Cambio business for over 15 years and in retail for over 20 years, operating from many locations across the island. Over that long period there have been many incidents that caused me to interact with policemen and policewomen of varying ranks and responsibilities. In some instances those interactions yielded excellent results but in other instances the results were less than satisfactory. Many of the officers I met then as individuals were exceedingly competent but they were often stretched thin and seemed to lack support.
However, there is a distinction to be made between the individuals and the organisation. In this, my most recent encounter, albeit brief and limited, I have never seen the police force more organised. Nor have I before seen this level of professionalism and teamwork demonstrated: from the 119 dispatcher and the heavily armed first responders to the teams of detectives, evidence gatherers and other officers present on the scene and involved in the investigation. This is not to diminish the efforts and achievements of individual officers over the years, many of whom are my good friends, but to suggest that the force seems to have made significant improvements as an organisation over the last few years.
IMF to me stands for “It’s Management’s Fault”. By this I mean that accountability in any and every organisation begins at the “top”. Therefore, if the police force is to be blamed, then it is the commissioner who must bear the heat. But conversely, if the force is to be commended, then likewise Commissioner Ellington must be congratulated. I take my newly formed impression as an indication that the JCF is being transformed into an organisation in which all citizens can have confidence and of which all its officers can be proud.
Richard Chen
Director, PaperGold Cambio
richchen@flowja.com
