Some years ago I had charged a young man in Central Village for illegal possession of a mini AR-15 machine gun. That was his second conviction. He was previously charged and served a sentence for illegal possession of a .38 revolver. You note his steady rise?

During the sentencing hearing the judge requested, rightly so, that the ballistic expert from the government forensic laboratory should come to court and explain the degree of danger that a weapon with that calibre could cause, being that it was concealable. The expert was a Detective Sergeant Mike Henry.

Whilst giving his evidence he went through the normal process of explaining his training and work experience that qualified him as an expert. At a point, the court went silent. This occurred not at the point where he detailed his training, which was considerable, but rather when he mentioned that during his career he had examined tens of thousands of guns.

I was dumbfounded. How in the world can you fit 20,000 examinations of firearms into one career and still be a young man? Well, after some thought I figured it out. He was doing that one thing over and over again, day after day, year after year. Since then I have looked at the designation of the title “expert” in the area of law enforcement. It is often believed to be confined to scientific areas of study for the purpose of giving evidence. This is a misnomer. Experts exist in several disciplines within law enforcement and the title is earned the same way.

When I joined the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) I was already a trained forensic investigator. I had received my training at Miami Dade Police Institute over a two-year period of study. I also was trained in combat so I was placed at the Criminal Investigation Branch on an operational team. Seemed like a good mix.

Being a trained investigator I took an interest in homicide investigation and received training in that area. I figured I had the training, it was a great school, so I knew a thing or two — until I met a detective named Leighton Blackstock and I realised learning had just begun. I often wonder how he became such a good homicide investigator, possibly the best in the JCF, and then I realised it was by doing the same thing, day after day, year after year, and with passion, skill and professionalism.

As I continued my journey through policing I found my passion in operations, particularly high-risk entry. I worked at getting training from wherever I could, from whatever school or discipline that would have me, to include the USA Special Weapons And Tactics (Special Weapons And Tactics), US Special Forces, the Israelis and, of course, the Jamaica Police Academy, as it was then called. They all had their distinctive culture and practices and were all unique in their own way.

However, it took me performing 24,000 high-risk entries over 20 years to really be an expert in my chosen craft. The training was important and is important, but it’s the repetition and doing it every day, day after day, year after year, that makes the difference and designates the level of expertise.

Experts still learn; it’s a continuous process, with each experience slightly different and unique in its own way. Just recently I had the experience of having to stop a suspect from crushing his own newborn baby to avoid being arrested. He likely didn’t even realise he was doing it. That had never happened before. I have learnt from that experience.

I once had a Gun Court matter with a detective inspector named Holmer Morgan. I have spent two decades in the Gun Court. I see very few persons there since I started decades ago. I have watched green prosecutors grow into great judges, and freshly minted defence attorneys develop to eventually earn the title King’s Counsel. I thought I had seen it all until I did that case with Detective Inspector Morgan and realised that there is still so much to learn. So, I asked him how he got so good at what he did.

“Is it because you do the same thing every day, day after day, year after year?”

He replied “Yes”, but also by not being afraid of the court and not being afraid to make mistakes, because that is how you learn.

Sergeant Henry, Deputy Superintendent Blackstock, and Detective Inspector Morgan are not the only experts in the force, there are many. We are losing them fast. We have already lost Sergeant Henry to emigration. He still has to be brought back to Jamaica to work because he still has cases. We will soon lose DSP Blackstock to retirement.

Our experts are being looted from us by overseas police departments in the Caribbean and North America. You see, we don’t appreciate their value but the world does.

If steps are not taken quickly we are going to lose what has taken decades to build — a cadre of experts in various disciplines of investigation. You can’t create them just by training, it’s also about time in the chosen vocation — and this is, in fact, far more important.

We can address the issues of retention post-retirement in many ways but it has to involve them still being police officers. Anything else just doesn’t work out. We can deal with the threat of foreign recruitment by recognition and compensation, but only to some degree.

I have learnt as an employer of hundreds of people that different things are important to different people. For some it’s the pretty car, some it’s the title. For some, it’s the work environment. It starts, though, with a plan.

We need to realise we are in danger, then we need to identify the people we simply can’t afford to lose, then we strategise how to keep them. Corporate Jamaica can teach Government this skill. It’s done by them everyday, all day, day after day, year after year.

Feedback: drjasonamckay@gmail.com