MONTEGO BAY, St James — After attending day one of the western leg of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Transformations Expo 2.0, grade 10 Irwin High School student Anthony Woolery is rethinking his career goals.

“It’s amazing! I mean it’s like a spectacle! I used to do cadet and I was planning to join the cadet force full-time, or the Jamaica Defence Force, but maybe I join this because all of this looks fun,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Woolery was among hundreds of students who turned out for the event at Montego Bay Community College Thursday. Like many of them, he was in awe at the displays. Woolery told the Observer the expo was a lot more impressive than he had anticipated; he was particularly taken with the drones.

“I’m a big fan of drones and I want to know as much about them because I’m seeing them being used and I don’t know how they [work],” he said.

Alongside drone technology the event showcased forensics, property management, state-of-the-art vehicles and more. It runs until June 22. A simultaneous staging is being held at the National Arena in St Andrew.

Cornwall College grade nine student Jabari Wint shared what he learned at the event’s first day in Montego Bay.

“Their forensics [team] taught us [about] the instruments they use to identify the weapons and materials used at a crime scene. Also the DNA unit taught us how they use DNA from a crime scene,” he said excitedly.

“It’s very good. I love the people, the hospitality, and I also love how interactive it is,” he said.

The teenager is also thinking about a career in the JCF.

Assistant Commissioner Glenford Miller, the officer in charge of Area One, told the Observer that engaging with students has long been a part of the JCF’s recruitment strategy.

“Over the years, we would have realised that a lot of our recruits are persons from high schools. We’re having our recruitment officers going into the various high schools and we actually start recruiting them from fifth form before they graduate,” he explained.

The senior cop noted that these young recruits who successfully pass the requisite tests and fulfil all the requirements then have an opportunity to become valued members of the force.

Miller stressed that, in addition to potential recruits, the expo offers the wider public valuable insight into the JCF’s operations. He said it has been going well.

“So far, we can say it’s a success, not for the JCF only but for the country. Our citizens now can look at some of the technology that the JCF is actually utilising in the fight against crime,” he said.

“We want our citizens to know that it is not by luck, it’s not just only by the prayers — even though prayers are good — but by the hard work and energy of the JCF and by virtue of the technological advancements of the JCF. That is why we are solving so much crimes and that is why we are seeing now not just a reduction in murders but the clear-up rate is way above the 60 per cent mark — maybe the best in the entire Caribbean,” Miller declared.

According to the JCF, ‘Transformations – People, Quality and Technology Expo 2.0’ builds on the successful inaugural staging in 2023. It brings together Jamaica’s most senior police leaders alongside partners in Government, business, civil society, and the wider public. The expo is expected to provide deeper insight into how quality, people-centred leadership and cutting-edge technology are reshaping the nation’s approach to policing.