Dear Editor,

I write in response to a letter to you from one Kemar Brown published on May 15 under the headline ‘Why block police youth club members from joining the constabulary?’.

Mr Brown alleges in his letter that police youth club members are not being given the opportunity to become police officers. This is absolutely not true. There are many former police youth club members who are now serving members of the police force and doing extremely well.

The doors of the JCF and auxiliaries are always open to qualified police youth club members who wish to make the police service a career.

Alluding to a private conversation he recently had with a senior police official, Mr Brown states that he “found it rather ridiculous and insensitive of a certain senior police official, saying in a private discussion that he would rather look outside of the police youth club to fill the gaps of the constabulary”.

I can state for the record that on Friday, May 10, 2013, I attended the Area 4 Police Athletic meet at the Police Elletson Road Sports Complex where a young man who identified himself as a police youth club member approached me and suggested that the police force should give preferential access to police youth club members wishing to enlist.

I recall telling the young man that we have a recruitment policy which is based on merit and is not discriminatory. I told him that if the JCF were to act on his proposal, it would deliberately deny itself the talents of applicants who are not PYC members but may be more qualified than some police youth club members.

So while I recall the young man saying he was surprised at my response, to report that I said I would rather look outside of the police youth club to fill the gaps in the force is a deliberate falsehood and most unbecoming of one wishing to make law enforcement a career.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force values the police youth club movement. In my time as commissioner of police I have mandated police commanders to significantly expand police youth club membership.

In a short period of three years we have increased membership by over 9,000 persons. We continue to look to the police youth club movement for talents for the police service, and we would encourage police youth club members with an interest in law enforcement as a career, to apply for enlistment.

We cannot and will not lower our standards for any person, whether they be police youth club members or otherwise.

Owen Ellington, CD, JP

Commissioner of Police

Owen Ellington