THE National Police Youth Club of Jamaica (NPYCJ) yesterday launched Safe and Sound JA, a project that is expected to make it easier for the hearing impaired to communicate with the police.

Over the next three months, law enforcement officers at the Half-Way-Tree and Mandeville police stations will be taught basic sign language to ensure that they understand and appreciate the sensitivities and concerns of the deaf community. The initiative is the first of its kind in Jamaica, and possibly the Caribbean, according to NPYCJ President Letesha Whyte.

“What we are trying to do is to introduce an interpreting service at the police station so that whenever a person from the deaf community wants to report an incident they can do so with little or no challenges,” she told the Jamaica Observer during a recent visit to Hayes, Clarendon.

The initiative will also improve accessibility to the justice system. “The police report is the single most important element between a victim and justice; it’s the first and necessary step towards a matter being admissible in court in the pursuit of justice. Oftentimes when deaf individuals visit the police station [the report] is poorly written by the deaf person. Or if interpreting is done by a friend or family member who is not certified in JSL (Jamaica Sign Language), the report is not admissible in court; it’s inaccurate,” explained Whyte. The cost of securing the services of professional interpreters, she added, is prohibitive for many.

“We want to implement a 24-hour virtual remote interpreting and sign language service at two police stations,” she said. In addition to Whyte, the project is being spearheaded by NPYCJ General Secretary Sandra Whyte and national coordinator Sergeant Ricardo McCalpin. The NPYCJ is also working closely with the Jamaica Association for the Deaf to get the project up and running. The initiative is part of a larger US$10,000 grant provided to nine other youth groups by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi-Country Office in Jamaica under its Amplifying Youth Voice and Action project.