The slamming of dominoes on a wooden table, a big soup pot bubbling nearby and, perhaps most notably, the frequent outbursts of laughter disturbed the peace almost all day last Friday at the Stony Hill Police Station in St Andrew.
At first glance, you could be excused for thinking that the police were hosting a reunion of ex-cops, but the hearty interaction was just the police hosting those they have vowed to serve and protect.
Dubbed a 'run-a-boat' day, this was part of a bonding initiative for the police and the residents and brought to a close the weeklong celebrations of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's (JCF) 151st anniversary.
As with all the activities throughout the week, this final engagement was intended to dispel certain perceptions ascribed to the JCF and its members while strengthening the relationship with citizens.
"Continuity, that's what we want. We have a great partnership with those who we serve but it can only be improved with an activity like this," Inspector Linval Harrison, sub-officer in charge at Stony Hill Police Station, told The Sunday Gleaner.
He noted that the station serves nine districts which include 60 communities.
Long-time resident Pedley Clarke, who remained glued to the domino table throughout the day, told The Sunday Gleaner that his relationship with the police bordered on a friendship and the run-a-boat day is one activity he wants to see on a sustained basis.
"It feels good to know that we can interact with the police like this, play some game and enjoy ourselves, bring love to the community ... . I would love to see this more often so everyone of us from here can really build a bond with the police," said Clarke.
He argued that similar initiatives should be crafted to attract the unattached youth in the area.
Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson, who toured the station during the day, told The Sunday Gleaner that the activity was all about building trust between citizens and cops.
But Anderson admitted that it would take a sustained approach to achieve the level of trust desired.
"But, I get the impression that at this particular station, trust is already there. I know they do good work and have good relations with the community here, so they just need to keep on doing that," said Anderson.
He added that the JCF achieved what it set out to with its weeklong activities.
"We wanted to reach out to young people and I think we did that effectively. We also wanted to highlight what we do and we've done that. Also importantly, we wanted to reach out to the members so that their own sense of worth increases and they understand that their leadership, their command, cares about them," declared Anderson.