JCF must be an attractive career option - Commissioner

Police Commissioner Antony Anderson has said that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) needs to be overhauled to make it more attractive for the next generation of talented Jamaicans to use it as a platform for personal and national development.

"... We need to give a pathway within the police force that [will cause] some of you kids who have passed now [to] see that as a viable option, as a career for you, in the future," said Anderson while addressing the Jamaica Police Cooperative Credit Union's (JPCCU) Grade Six Achievement Test Scholarship Awards Ceremony in New Kingston yesterday.

The awards scheme is 21 years old, and this year, five scholarships and 92 bursaries valued at over $1.2 million were handed over to students whose parents are members of the JPCCU.

Noting that police officers invested heavily in their children's success right throughout their education, Anderson implored parents to present being a police officer as an option when their children ask 'What should I become?'.

Anderson restated his vision for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to become tech-savvy and cohesive, but this was met with visible skepticism by some members of the audience.

Anderson's vision of a reformed JCF echoes sentiments expressed by National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang during his sectoral presentation in June. He announced that legislation to modernise the JCF was being crafted and should be tabled in Parliament during the legislative year.

Chang said: "We will be moving with deliberate effort to advance the reform of the JCF. This will not be a non-starter."

He added, "Reform will not only entail technological improvements or a simple name change, but establishing a robust accountability framework, enhanced capacity building, culture change and improvements in the standards of service delivery."