KINGSTON, Jamaica — Law enforcers are being urged to use their office for the greater good, standing firm on their vow to become ‘agents of change.’

Speaking at the St Catherine South Police Headquarters Commander’s Parade, Prayer Breakfast and Awards Ceremony in Portmore on Friday, Corporal Arleen McBean stressed that police officers must respect themselves and the role they play in society.

“When I look at the theme, ‘Guardians of Change, Embracing Partnership and Innovation through Policing,’ I want to touch on a few points. Citizens of Jamaica must respect the police, but I pause to say to my colleagues, you must respect the citizens of Jamaica. You must be that guardians of change that not only swear to protect and serve but to let it be evident in your action,” she said as she urged officers to use social media platforms responsibly.

Corporal McBean expressed that when dressed in uniform, officers should display behaviour in keeping with that of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) code of conduct. She warned that should officers deviate from the latter, they will not have the backing of the JCF.

“When you go out and you do all sorts of things decked in the government uniform and you utilise the government’s resources to erode the gains, I can tell you, you won’t have the police federation standing with you in that regard,” she said. “So, if you are going to be a TikTok-er, TikTok that we are people, quality, moving with technology, ensuring the safety of every law abiding citizen and ensuring that every gunman must go jail or we take them in one way or the other.”

Although not addressing the issue directly, Corporal McBean’s speech seemingly aimed at the JCF’s recent decision to embark on disciplinary action against officers involved in a TikTok trend arguing that their “actions depicted in the video reinforce several negative stereotypes associated with our force.”

“Such representations are not consistent with our current transformational thrust towards building a professional organisation,” the JCF High Command said in a statement on Tuesday.