Senior cop calls to curb corruption in police force
Published:Monday | January 23, 2023 | 12:40 AMRasbert Turner/Gleaner Writer
A senior member of the police force is rallying Jamaicans to help curb corruption by refusing bribery requests from security personnel.
The appeal was made recently by acting head of the St Catherine South Police Division, Superintendent Hopton Nicholson, who said that the force has zero tolerance for malfeasance.
“We have an internal mechanism to deal with reports of this nature. We are therefore asking that if you are approached, don’t get involved,” Nicholson said, “We need to serve the public with courtesy and honesty, and our members are made aware daily.”
The superintendent said that for the police to be effective, the cooperation of Jamaicans is crucial in reporting acts of solicitation.
Jamaica’s police force has been perceived for years as largely corrupt, and that trust deficit has caused some citizens to be wary of reporting crimes for fear of complicity.
TRUST
A 2021 Latin American Public Opinion Project survey showed that 33 per cent of Jamaicans trust the police compared with 30 per cent when a similar survey was done in 2019.
A 2019 Jamaica National Crime Victimisation Survey showed that 65.2 per cent of Jamaicans aged 16 and older felt that the police force was most corrupt.
Nicholson maintained that citizens action was critical to achieving success in the war against corruption.
“We render ourselves (the police) accountable, which has resulted in the division’s quarterly meeting where an overview of services are discussed with our stakeholders, who are kept abreast,” Nicholson said.
St Catherine South is putting renewed focus on ramping up electronic surveillance in the division and bicycle patrol teams will boost general security.
“There is also the need for drones, especially during targeted operations. All these mechanisms will form part of the thrust in making the citizenry safe,” Nicholson said.