KINGSTON, Jamaica — General Manager of JN Foundation, Claudine Allen, has urged members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to leverage their influence in communities to reduce motorcycle fatalities.

Allen was speaking at the opening of a three‑day helmet‑wearing and road‑safety training programme for 27 police officers from the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) of the JCF, recently.

The training was conducted by the National Helmet Wearing Coalition (NHWC), a project of the JN Foundation in collaboration with the National Road Safety Council, for members of the PSTEB, and forms part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2025 between the JCF, the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), the National Helmet Wearing Coalition and the FIA Foundation.

The partnerships paved the way for a structured capacity‑building effort targeting the enforcement of motorcycle helmet laws.

Allen emphasised that police officers remain some of the most respected figures in Jamaican communities and can play a transformative role in shaping safer road‑use behaviour. She encouraged participants to lead by example through consistent compliance, respectful engagement with motorists, and unwavering professionalism.

“Every time you put on your uniform, you carry an authority that can influence behaviour,” Allen said. “Success will not be measured by the number of tickets issued but by the number of lives saved.”

Supporting  Allen’s point, Dave Cliff, chief executive officer of the Global Road Safety Partnership, commended Jamaica for taking decisive steps to address motorcycle-related deaths, one of the fastest‑growing categories of road fatalities globally.

Cliff praised the collaboration with the JCF, describing it as “a clear investment in saving lives”.

He noted that empowering frontline police officers with improved enforcement, communication and technical skills is one of the most impactful interventions a country can implement.

He added that Jamaica’s commitment to training and capacity-building demonstrates its leadership among developing nations facing similar road-safety challenges.

Also addressing the training sessions, Senior Superintendent of Police Lloyd Darby, head of PSTEB, outlined the scale of Jamaica’s road safety challenges.

More than 4,480 people died in road collisions between 2015 and 2025, including 1,356 motorcyclists and 159 pillion passengers.

One hundred and eleven  motorcyclists died in 2025. He said the JCF is working towards achieving below 300 road deaths for the year in 2026, a milestone achieved only seven times in the past five decades.

Senior Superintendent Darby explained that the JCF’s strategy to cut motorcycle deaths by 50 per cent and other categories by 10 per cent includes zero‑tolerance enforcement, enhanced public engagement, and structured training programmes.

In 2026 alone, 786 motorcycles have been seized as part of the initiative, compared to 336 motorcycles seized in 2025, reflecting a significantly strengthened enforcement programme, he informed.

Sergeant Shereen Chambers, sub-officer in charge of the Metro Quick Response Team, described the programme as timely and practical.

“I have learnt a lot; some things I knew and some things were new,” she said. “I can now identify certified helmet elements, and I will pass this knowledge on to my juniors and to motorists I engage with daily.”

The training, delivered in collaboration with local and international partners, is part of a broader push to close the gap between legislation and real‑world road safety practices.

Partners emphasised that meaningful change will depend on consistent application of the skills learned during the workshop.

The 27 police officers will go on to train other members of the police force.

Allen encouraged the officers to leave the training with renewed purpose.

“Your interventions may prevent tragedies you will never see. But your impact will be lasting,” she stressed.