Accommodation being prepared for more JCF recruits
MANDEVILLE, Jamaica (JIS) – Minister of National Security, Robert Montague, says repairs will be carried out on two dormitories at Twickenham Park, St Catherine, and four rooms are being built at Harmon Barracks to accommodate more recruits for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
“That would give them (Harmon Barracks) the capacity for 200 recruits, and with two batches per year, this would give them 400 graduates per year; and Twickenham will go up to 450 recruits per batch, and with two batches per year, the numbers would increase,” the minister said.
Addressing the Manchester Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, yesterday, Montague said the ministry is also in the middle of negotiations with a provider of temporary housing for more recruits of the National Police College of Jamaica at Twickenham Park.
“I want to bring Twickenham Park up to 600 or 700 per batch. We will also be signing an MOU with another Ministry that has a training facility that can take 100 (recruits), and we want to use that space for the training of district constables,” the minister noted.
Montague noted that the college is training an average of 550 recruits per year, but the JCF is losing 500 personnel over the same period, so more recruits will have to be accommodated.
To have more policemen and women on the streets, the minister said they are seeking to engage the municipal police in the parish councils, private security guards, retired police officers and licensed firearm holders to assist the JCF by doing traffic control and manning the stations to free up uniformed officers.
Montague said the ministry has also purchased 200 pre-owned motor cars for the Police, and four have been handed over to the parishes of Manchester and St Elizabeth.
“In addition to that, next week I am taking charge of 21 mid-sized SUVs, with one to be given to every division in every area for use by the duty officer for help in monitoring and supervising the outstation,” the Minister said, adding that Mandeville will get four of the SUVs.
