Harbour View police - Symbol of good community-policing policy
Published:Tuesday | November 27, 2018 | 12:00 AMPaul Clarke/Gleaner Writer
Policing the masses can be a brutal, unforgiving and ungrateful job, but the officers at the Harbour View Police Station in east Kingston are relishing the magnitude of the role they have signed up for, and have gone on to create success stories by delivering on their pledge to serve, protect and reassure.
Key to this has been a clear understanding that the people must never be seen as the enemy and, by extension, that law and order must be central to the communities the police serve.
According to Sergeant Wickham Campbell, being a good and trustworthy police officer demands care and attention to duty and responsibility to the people.
Community Policing
He mentioned that community policing warrants total dedication, noting it is the most useful of methods to gain the trust of the people, and, by doing so, limit the potential for crime producers.
"We are doing well in many instances. The communities we serve, while still having issues, in the main are gradually seeing the value in our community-policing methods, where it's more than just interaction with the people; it's about developing a strong, symbiotic relationship," Campbell said.
The 32-year Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) veteran said that the Harbour View Police Station is more than the property and symbol of the Force.
"There are two police youth clubs associated with us here. We are responsible for Shooters Hill and the Harbour View Police youth clubs. These are useful partners in battling crime in the communities we serve," noted Campbell.
In addition, a free health fair is being planned for the Melbrook Heights community, as well as plans to sustain their successful lecture series on conflict resolution in the schools in communities that fall under their influence.
These include the Caribbean Maritime Institute, Donald Quarrie High School and the St Benedicts and Harbour View primary schools.
As part of celebrating the 151st anniversary of the JCF, the members at the Harbour View Police Station will on Friday, November 30, play host to a cookout 'run boat' style as a means of further engaging the communities.
Sergeant Oral Williamson, better known as the 'Vybz Master' for the engaging way he entertains the people while on community duties, admits that his work is made hard by rogue personalities who are hell-bent on destroying the good that exists between the citizens and the police.
"We have not recorded a murder in our police area since April. That's a big thing. It's still nothing to gloat over either, because that number is at 56, the same for the corresponding period in 2017. What we are proud about is that we recognise the effort that is made by the people, and that's all we can ask for," said Williamson.
The 13-member police personnel assigned to the Harbour View station, however, have to be dealing with an upsurge in robberies, Williamson noted.
"The reassuring thing about it is that we believe our message is getting through to the young people, and once that is the case, then the battle is half-won," he said.