The National Police College of Jamaica will soon introduce an Advanced Counter Gang course as part of its curriculum, in an effort to equip local cops with the knowledge and skills to effectively tackle gangs and organised crime.

Material for the course was handed over to the National Police College on Wednesday by the National Centre for State Courts (NCSC), the United States, and other justice system organisations.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey described the handover of the curriculum material as historic and said that it will not only improve the knowledge base of members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) when they approach gang investigations, but will also help to tackle the growing sophistication and brutality of gangs in Jamaica.

“This curriculum, I believe, represents more than just a collection of training materials; it is a comprehensive guide designed to empower our law enforcement personnel with cutting-edge strategies and techniques developed in collaboration with different experts, drawn from various disciplines within various law enforcement,” said Bailey.

He pointed out that since 2018, gang-related murders fell from 80 per cent to just over 60 per cent of all murders in Jamaica and argued that the current anti-gang strategies which have been implemented in Jamaica over the past few years have decreased the impact of the gangsters on the society.

In the meantime, Deputy Superintendent of Police Carl Berry announced that the training with the new curriculum will begin in November.

Berry noted that the Caribbean Anti-Crime Programme conducted an advanced training for gang investigators and prosecutors in Jamaica last year.

He said that training programme was successful due to collaborative efforts particularly from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“The mock trials stood out, having assessed the course, as one of the significant moments where the people who participated rank the mock trial way up and this is because we had this positive partnership with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and what emerged from it was significant because people were able to practise and are practising successfully their craft,” added Berry.

A detective from the Kingston Central Police Proactive Investigative Unit Jovel Sorty-Thomas, during a video presentation, shared his experiences from last year’s training programme.

He said the training had improved his investigative skills.

“With the wealth of knowledge gained, on my return to my division I was able to solve a murder case, a holding case, and also a case of possession of illegal weapons and possession of ammunition. I am presently putting together a gang file and I know [that] with the continuous training and guidance, we will be able to combat crime,” said Sorty-Thompson.

In the meantime, acting Director of Public Prosecutions Claudette Thompson said she was excited for this new venture in the justice system and expects more successful prosecution of gang members going forward.

“This curriculum will no doubt take us to the next level [by] strengthening our investigative skills. It will see to a more structured and uniformed approach as well. This handing over of the curriculum signifies the importance of increasing collaboration and amalgamation of resource. It speaks to the need for more training and collaboration with the various institutions,” said Thompson.