JCF cops dissing DCs, says boss

District Constables (DCs) are dissatisfied with the treatment meted out to them by the members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to whom they report, and they are demanding that Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson address the discord.

Addressing the 27th general conference of the United District Constables Association (UDCA) at Jewel Runaway Bay hotel in St Ann on Thursday, outgoing president of the District Constables Association, Delroy Davis, said that the working relationship with JCF personnel was strained.

“It’s unfair. The members have been working with the JCF, and sometimes their supervisors say certain words to them, which is not very comfortable. It doesn’t give us that level of working (relationship), so we’re asking the commissioner to address that area,” Davis told The Gleaner later.

That superiority complex appears to be widespread, Davis lamented, arguing that his members felt like second-class hangers-on.

“We continue to argue about recognition because gone are the years when we were recognised at King’s House, and we feel we were not recognised this year at King’s House. We feel something is wrong,” the association boss said.

“And yet the JCF had an awards ceremony and we were not recognised there, so my members are a bit disgruntled in that area,” Davis explained.

Another source of discontentment is healthcare as district constables are forced to travel long distances from rural communities to receive dialysis and other treatment in Kingston.

“We are saying the Government and the powers that be should put dialysis machines in place (to avoid the long travelling),” he said.

The president also said that there were concerns over pension arrangements for the approximately 2,300 district constables of the organisation.

While district constables fight for better treatment from their peers, public perception of their worth and efforts remained positive, Davis said.

“Travelling the length and breadth of Jamaica, I can say that district constables are highly appreciated by the public. Even in the new uniform, sometimes they wonder if we are security guards, but when they realise that we are district constables, we’re getting the notch up. We get that respect based on our knowledge of areas and how we operate.”

Meanwhile, guest speaker Chief Justice Bryan Sykes reiterated his long-held desire to speed up the court process in Jamaica by using technology.

Sykes, who has placed timely justice as the centrepiece of his tenure, said it was incumbent on the courts to “meet the demands of citizens”.

editorial@gleanerjm.com