This is the second part of an article, by Linton Gordon, a former senior officer of the JDF and a well established attorney, on the Jamaica Constabulary Force. In part one last week, Mr Gordon pointed to the serious image problem of the Force, in a country with high levels of criminal activity and widespread concern about crime. He continues his argument here for a radical organizational and conceptual transformation of the Force which he said is not meeting its objective of making citizens of Jamaica safe.—The Editor
Linton P. Gordon
There is no doubt that the main concern of the majority of citizens in Jamaica today is Crime. Just about everyone has a sense of insecurity and uncertainty. The frequent news reports of vicious murders including multiple murders are a source of depression, fright and insecurity for all. It is no doubt also a stressful and difficult period for members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). It is this body that has the primary responsibility for ensuring the safety of citizens in Jamaica. By any measurement it must be conceded that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is not achieving the objective of making citizens safe in Jamaica.
INTELLIGENCE PORTFOLIO
Intelligence gathering is an area in which the JCF needs to improve. There are too many criminal activities occurring in Jamaica that members of the JCF become aware of “after the fact”. It is widely acknowledged in Jamaica that the intelligence unit of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is more reliable and more informed than that of the JCF. This however should not necessarily be so because, to begin with, the JCF has a wide Basic Source for the gathering of intelligence throughout Jamaica. This wide Basic Source is comprised of the several police stations and district constables that are spread throughout Jamaica. These police stations provide the basic foundation on which the JCF can develop one of the most awesome, reliable and well informed intelligence gathering apparatus.
Intelligence gathering, or spying, is as old as the earth. In the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, it is reported at Numbers 13: versus 17-18 that:
“…Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;”There are primarily three front line elements of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). They are faced with citizens who will confront the members of the Force, test the patience of members of the Force and bring to bear deadly fire force against member of the Force. These persons should be carefully selected and be highly trained for the jobs they have to carry out. Police in the Traffic Department interface with a wide cross section of citizens who they stop at vehicle check point. A courteous and polite manner to all citizens, irrespective of their presumed station in life will go a far way in winning the hearts of citizens. In the same breath, while carrying out their function professionally, police should learn to ignore verbal aggression, taunting and teasing and other non-physical misconduct of citizens.Also in Joshua 2 versus 1 it is reported:
“And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.”
The two men sent by Joshua to spy were so dedicated to their duties that in order to ensure that they were not discovered they hid in a harlot’s house. A harlot’s house today is known as a house of prostitution or whorehouse. The moral of this quotation is that members of the JCF should be prepared to go into all areas of Jamaica and to disguise their identity; that is to say, be incognito in an effort to get full and complete information on the criminal elements in our country.
DETECTION
This leads us to detection. There is constant complaint in Jamaica about the lack of detection, especially when serious crimes are committed. Again this takes us back to the lack of intelligence source. Recently, the minister of national security, Robert Montague, announced he would return the district constables to their communities rather than have them at police stations.
