Detective Corporal is 2024 Governor General’s Achievement awardee

The journey to success for Detective Corporal Damoy Douglas of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is a testament to the reward that comes from hard work and dedication.

One of 39 Jamaicans who recently received the 2024 Governor General’s Achievement Award (GGAA) for noteworthy contribution to their communities, Douglas has overcome financial hardship to achieve academic success and earn a law degree.

The 30-year-old St. James native was recognised in the 18 to 35-year-old category for academic excellence and leadership.

In addition to his work in law enforcement, the detective corporal serves his community through voluntary work in various clubs and societies, including the Montego Bay Rotaract Club, which carries out activities in Norwood, Catherine Hall, Granville, Flanker and other areas.

Detective Corporal Douglas said that he was proud to receive the GGAA and is even more grateful for the opportunity to share his story and have a positive influence on others.

“I feel honoured to have been recognised for my academic effort, my perseverance, my community involvement. This will go a long way in positioning me as a role model for members of my community … and my family and friends,” he says.

STRINGENT TIME-MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Originally from St Mary, Detective Corporal Douglas grew up in a family of eight children, with the only source of income coming from his mother, who did domestic work.

Sadly, she did not witness the success her son achieved, as she died while he was in primary school.

With a determination to succeed and make his family proud, he worked hard in school, graduating from St Mary High, where he did secondary studies, with eight Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects and 10 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) units.

After completing high school, he applied to the National Youth Service and was placed at the St Mary Parish Court where he worked for about two years.

He then applied to the JCF and was placed in St James as a young constable after completing his training programme in August 2015.

It was about two years later that he decided to pursue a Bachelor of Law degree at the University of Technology (UTech) Western Campus as a part-time student while serving full-time in the Force.

Detective Corporal Douglas said that he had to implement stringent time-management skills to balance his studies and his budding career in the JCF.

He was promoted in 2020, five years after joining the Force.

“I had to try to balance myself because at the end of the day, it comes down to what you want. Once you want something, you make a decision. So, I would work during the day and take classes in the evening,” he points out.

He worked diligently at his studies and was awarded a UTech 60th anniversary scholarship for academic performance, which is given to the top-four students from the Faculty of Law across all campuses.

He had the second-highest grade point average (GPA) in the entire school for that academic period.

At the same time, he continued to serve his community through various clubs and societies. He was the Faculty of Law representative and the president of the Rotaract Club for UTech West, and was also a peer counsellor.

Detective Corporal Douglas achieved his Bachelor of Law (LLB) with first-class honours in 2021.

IMPECCABLE CHARACTER

Supreme Court Judge, Justice Icolin Reid, who was Detective Corporal’s lecturer, says she was initially drawn to the Governor General awardee because of his commitment to his education.

“What I admired about him is the lengths that he would go not to miss a class. He was a part-time student, but he was a full-time police officer. What stands out in my mind was on one occasion where he was doing a course in Kingston and he didn’t want to miss the class. I would take my personal phone, so that he would participate and answer questions, although he wasn’t physically present,” she recalls.

Justice Reid said that the young detective corporal is of impeccable character and is deserving of the GGAA.

“I think that it does the police force very good to have someone of his calibre being a police officer,” she says.

Superintendent Eron Samuels, who is in charge of the St James Police Division, says the division values Detective Corporal Douglas’ work over the years.

“He is very smart, and we value his opinion very deeply as it relates to crime within the division… . I know that a lot of his peers are very eager to support him with his journey. We can look forward to him moving up in the ranks and playing a role in the management of the organisation in the future,” he says.

depth of talent

Superintendent Samuels says the GGAA award is a testament to the calibre of men and women serving the Force.

“For a member of the JCF to receive an award of this nature is very good. It really shows that we have a depth of talent and ability within the division itself and in the JCF at large. A lot of persons believe that police officers are just really physical, but we have a lot of scholars within the organisation,” he notes.

“This is a testament to the depth of the organisation in terms of the type of person that we produce and we believe that it is a testament that there is more to come,” he adds.

Detective Corporal Douglas has no intention of leaving the Force.

In 2022, he received a scholarship to study in the United Kingdom (UK) where he completed a Master of Science in Intelligence, Security and Disaster Management with Distinction, at the University of Derby.

“I love policing, I enjoy what I do. So, it is my hope, my intention to continue to serve the citizens of Jamaica in the capacity of a police officer. Hopefully, some elevation can come from this, but nevertheless I still continue to give of my best,” he told JIS News.