Clarendon cops make big impact during Police Week

The Clarendon Police Department, headed by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vendolyn Cameron Powell, yesterday stepped up their outreach activities in various communities in the parish in observation of Police Week 2018.

Police personnel held talks with justices of the peace in the parish and had dialogue with members of the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce who made a courtesy call on them at the May Pen Police Station.

The week's activities are organised to celebrate 151 years since the establishment of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

"It was also an experience having May Pen Primary Police Youth Club president Renaldo McClymoth decked out in his 'police uniform' and joining members of the force who visited several schools," said SSP Powell, adding that it was an opportunity to advertise the club to other students.

As part of Police Week activities, members of the JCF also visited retired police personnel, as well as the families of former colleagues who have died.

"It's always a good feeling to interact with those who have served on the front line and have now passed on the baton. The retirees enjoyed the visits, and it made them see that they are not forgotten," Cameron Powell said.

"Visiting family members of policemen who died in the line of duty or of illness is a bit more difficult as for many, the pain still lingers, but all we can do is to be there and continue to encourage as best we can," she said.

"We have been making inroads, and people are no longer viewing us as the enemy. It was long, hard work to show that we, too, are human, and at the end of the day, we all have the same goal: a crime-free Jamaica where our children can live and roam in peace and safety."