SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — In response to concerns about how members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) interact with the public, the Westmoreland Police Division will be offering training focused on professionalism and appropriate behaviour.

“We are on an ongoing training of our police officers across the division that will commence on Monday [May 18, 2026]. The first topic I instructed them to teach is professionalism — how they conduct themselves,” stated operations officer for the division, Deputy Superintendent Jordaine Allen.

He was addressing the monthly general meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation last Thursday.

Allen’s comments came after complaints about the “soft skills training” provided to younger members of the JCF and inconsistencies in how motorists are treated based on the type of vehicle they drive.

“If I’m driving one of the cars… more closely aligned to what the so-called undesirables drive… the reaction that you get when you are stopped [by the police], it’s not in keeping with decent… law-representing practices,” said Councillor Ian Myles (Jamaica Labour Party, Little London Division).

Myles also alleged that recently a policeman verbally abused a senior female member of the municipal corporation staff. The corporation’s building and parking lot are located in front of the Westmoreland Police Divisional Headquarters in Savanna-la-Mar.

“The other day a police parked in one of the paid parking bays and he was spoken to by one of our section heads, a senior officer… a mature woman. The language that came out of that officer’s mouth to the head of the department here, it’s really and truly inexplicable, it’s distasteful,” said Myles.

In response, Allen reassured the corporation that the JCF fully embraces its motto of professionalism and gave a commitment that the Police Public Interaction Policy will be used to reiterate that cops must treat the public with “utmost respect”.

Allen also provided an update on another effort that will be made to improve the relationship between the police and those they are tasked with protecting and serving. He said another leg of their ongoing community outreach initiative, called Beat the Streets, will be held at Cook Street Multipurpose Court in Savanna-la-Mar at 10:00 am Monday, May 18.

“Beat the Streets is where we go out as the management team, station commanders, traffic personnel, operations team, all of us invite our stakeholders and we go into communities and have a rapport with the citizens within the communities, share the vision that we have for the community, listen to their concerns and see how best we can fulfil their needs,” he explained.

The senior cop also highlighted gains made in crime fighting in Westmoreland. He said there have been six fewer murders, year to date, when compared to the similar period in 2025. That is a “38 per cent reduction in murders across the Westmoreland Division,” stated Allen.

On June 30, the division is scheduled to host an awards ceremony at Sean Lavery Hall in Savanna-la-Mar to show appreciation for the work done by cops in the parish.

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