Dear Online Editor,

In light of the many atrocities that are perpetually associated with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) it is time to establish an effective professional standards unit that will change the trajectory of community relations between the force and the Jamaican people.  

For the most part the majority of our officers have a well-established tradition of serving the community with integrity and in a professional manner.  However, the rogues within the force are the headline grabbers who delegitimize the quality of service that the JCF seek to provide to the citizenry.   Therefore, such a unit is essential to ensure that every member of the force accept the responsibility for their role in maintaining integrity, quality services and the highest professional standards.

The mandate and focus of this office must be to ensure that the police force is constantly improving in all aspects of policing through a rigorous evaluation of the JCF policies which would signify its commitment to excellence.

The potency of a professional standards unit will buttress the JCF capabilities to prevent and control crime, increase its effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of law enforcement services, increase cooperation of the general public, increase citizens confidence in objectives, policies, and practices of the organization.

Notwithstanding, reform of the JCF would be better served within the wider context of criminal justice reform.  The police is only one branch of a threefold system, namely law enforcement, the courts, and the correctional services. The entire system is broken and limping and is in need of transformation.  The caseload of the courts is ridiculously high, true justice appears to be of ostentatious value, and the nation’s civility is currently at its lowest.

The system spends significant time and resources pursuing and prosecuting victimless crimes which contributes to the overload in the jails and prisons.  This compounds the predicament of the corrections branch which is an outdated and slipshod institution that warehouse offenders and suspects, without the privilege of court hearings for months at a time and sometimes years.

The rehabilitation of inmates is nonexistent and the tentacles of criminality grow stronger from within the walls of the penal institutions.  Offenders that cannot afford to post bail or afford lawyers are generally stashed away for inordinate periods of time and this leads to overcrowding and violence in squalor and sub-human conditions.

The complexity of the criminal justice system does not spare the police the righteous indignation of civil society and the JCF is seen as the poster child of evil and human rights abuses.

Frankly, much of the pique directed towards the police represents the equity that is garnered from the brutalization of citizens and a generally callous indifference to the dignity that should be the hallmark of the job.  Regardless of the issues with the force, and they are many, until there is empirical data to prove me wrong, I do believe that the majority of men and women in the police force are decent, hardworking, and patriotic citizens that have a vested interest in our prosperity as a nation.

They are our brothers, sisters, friends, cousins, neighbours, and church members – they are people who we know and love.  Yet, as soon as some are given the gun and the badge, they morph into demigods of epic proportion – they walk differently, they talk different, their arrogance becomes palpable, and they take more pride in their badge of entitlement more than they do the one issued on the day that they took the solemn oath to protect and serve the country.

It is time for the hard working, decent men and women that constitute the majority of the JCF to reclaim the institution from the scalawags that lack the decency and decorum that is becoming of the mandate with which the taxpayers of Jamaica have entrusted them.  Criminal justice reform should come and will come, but that coming I suspect will be mighty slow.  Therefore, until then the Jamaica Constabulary Force must exhibit the moral fortitude to cleanse itself from the inside out and initiate the necessary reform that the system needs.  A bold stance for decency and demureness will invariably benefit the force’s image and help to renew the trust of the populace in law enforcers.  

The institutionalization of police reform should encompass an assessment of the JCF organizational culture. The senior management of the police force must prioritize an “all hands on deck” approach to develop a culture that supports the proposed changes and new policies.

The attitude of dissidents must be confronted early in the change process and extensive re-socialization of officers should ensue.  It is imperative that they accept the new philosophies which should include revised training, promotional guidelines, performance evaluations, and an attainable mission statements.

The police must be held accountable for their actions but their answerability should start within the collective conscience of the entire JCF and a renewed sense of responsibility in embracing its pivotal role in nation building.  Accountability is both what the police do and how they perform.  Yes, there are atrocities and general insensitivities to point to in the JCF and that translates to a toxic relationship with citizens, especially those in poor communities. Therefore, the JCF must embark upon an internal mission of accountability that involves controlling crime and deviance and other services to the public.  Law and order in Jamaica is currently in a fragile state and a failed police force will leave the nation on the cusp of anarchy.

No longer can some members of the JCF circumvent the high expectation placed upon them, thus individual officers must act in a responsible and legal manner while upholding the law and controlling crime.

The expectation of Jamaicans is that the police treat all citizens equally under the law and that officers be above reproach. Jamaicans can be tough critics but they can also be fair and balanced and members of the communities should be afforded the opportunity to evaluate police conduct and effectiveness.  Mechanisms must therefore be put in place, by the police in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security and civic organizations for citizens to formally evaluate the performance of the officers as they are employees of the people.

Generally, police accountability focuses on the relationship between the police force and the public, but an expectation of internal accountability should also be paramount to the organization. Sexual harassment, bullying and other forms of workplace discrimination should not be tolerated in the JCF and must be weeded out forthwith.  The officers that fail to observe established codes of conduct, ethical principles, or abide by the law of the land must be reprimanded, suspended or dismissed if the JCF wants to be taken seriously.

Policing have come a far way since the night watch system developed in England in the 17th and 18th centuries when the official establishment of policing began with passage of the Police Metropolitan Act of 1829 in London, England.

Modern policing is continuously evolving from its roots and traditions and as the society becomes more diverse and modernized the public has gradually abdicated its role in the pacification of crime and deviance and the police is expected to take on responsibilities that were once the civic duties of citizens. For example, when someone witnesses a crime and provides information to police, it is not called doing the cops’ work as some citizens suggest, but doing one’s civic duty.

It is called doing the right thing.  The inept politicians and the police hierarchy must shoulder some of the blame for the degradation of law and order but so is every man, woman, and child that turns a blind eye to deviance and crime and trivialize law, order, and decency.

There is little doubt that the police is guilty of kicking down people’s doors in the middle of the night or confronting people in the public sphere for asinine reasons which very often result in death or egregious injuries.

The police is aware that the badge, the gun, and excessive force will not guarantee respect and cooperation but brute force continues to be among the tools of conformity for some officers.

Authority and respect will be earned by every individual officer treating members of the public with respect and not simply because they are a part of a system.  We do appreciate the fact that the police put their lives on the line to protect us and we do not expect them to say “pretty please” when confronting or apprehending dangerous criminals.

The JCF, for all their good work, deserve our admiration and respect.  Nevertheless, to earn respect they must do so through a transparent scrutiny of their own dubious acts or questionable conduct.  They must pay careful attention to the law themselves and respect for the citizens they serve, whether they be rich or poor, right or wrong, good or bad, from uptown or downtown, from town or country. Respect is a mutual thing.

Richie Lindo

richieboo2@yahoo.com