Horace Chang | Transforming the culture of JCF

Police culture is a multidimensional construct that is shaped by a wide spectrum of factors. These factors range from recruitment and training practices to professional development and professional standards, to leadership and accountability mechanisms.

It means, therefore, that transforming the culture of any police organisation will require a targeted and sustained effort that is focused heavily on the people and the structures within the organisation. This is with an aim of engendering and promoting the right values, attitudes and behaviour that will ultimately instil the desired organisational culture.

Notwithstanding the fact that a majority of the publicity has been focused on the technological and infrastructural developments that are taking place within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), a great deal of work is being done relative to the people and organisational structures, as an equally critical component of the force’s transformation programme.

RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING

Amid the ongoing recruitment drive to increase the JCF membership to full establishment there is a parallel thrust to reshape the organisational culture of the force. To this end, the JCF has implemented significant changes to its recruitment and training programmes in recent years.

First, a new cadre of trainers was selected, trained and promoted before being deployed to the police training college to impart a modern philosophy of policing to our new recruits. This was crucial to instilling a new sense of identity among our recruits. Second, the curriculum was strengthened to include some of the modern requirements of policing such as training in gender-based violence (GBV) and rights-based approaches to policing. Third, the basic training programme was revamped to enhance the knowledge and competence of the members. This included the adoption of student-centred learning at the initial stage, on-the-job training at the intermediate stage and an internship component.

The new basic training programme was further strengthened by the introduction of a digital handbook, titled Offences, Points to Prove and Authorities, which provides practical guidance on the key elements to prove over 100 criminal offences. Additionally, the handbook provides officers with easy access to over 100 precedent cases and legal terms, which are relevant to carrying out their day-to-day duties. This handbook is a comprehensive and invaluable resource for the members of the force.

As regards the quality of candidates that are available for enlistment in the force, the Police Cadet Academy was established in September 2021 as an additional mechanism to facilitate the reshaping of the culture of Jamaican policing.

The Police Cadet Programme targets young men (ages 16 and 17 years) and supports their successful preparation for CSEC examinations, while introducing them to the knowledge and skills of basic policing functions. Cadets become eligible to transition into the police basic training upon attaining the age of 18 years.

During the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, police training facilities were renovated and/or retrofitted to support the expansion of training. These facilities included: the Tranquility Bay, Harman Barracks and Camp Verley Training Facilities.

‘SELF-REGULATION’

The JCF has a well-established policy of vetting all new recruits. A less publicised practice, however, is the robust process of internal reviews and ‘self-regulation’ that occurs simultaneously. The fact is, JCF members and recruits are not insulated from the social ills that plague our society. There does exist the likelihood that a small number of undesirable recruits and/or members may invariably enter the system undetected. For this reason, internal mechanisms of the JCF have been strengthened to identify, track and monitor ‘infiltrators’ within the organisation, based on intelligence. This was evident with the recent arrests of police officers linked to the Clarendon-based ‘Ranco Gang’ and more recently the two officers linked to the murder in the Red Hills community.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

As we invest in building a more modern, adaptable and agile police force, it is not lost on the Government that there needs to be a structured and continuous system of professional, legal and ethical training of our police officers. Not only does this engender a culture of professionalism within our primary law enforcement agency but it provides the opportunity to hone and refine the management and leadership skill sets for the future of the organisation.

To this end, a number of professional development programmes and promotional pathways have been instituted in recent years. Some of these programmes include: the Accelerated Promotion Programme (APP) and the High Potential Detective Training Programme (HPDTP), through which select officers at the levels of constable to sergeant are taken through specific phases of policing and academic training. At the end of the programme, successful participants transition into the Officer Corps.

The Initial Officer Training Programme (IOTP), offered by the Caribbean Military Academy with support from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, prepares select police constables for transition into the Officer Corps and taking on tactical command and operational leadership. Additional programmes are available to develop rank-and-file members to take on the roles of operations officers, crime officers, and station commanders.

As part of a transparent and merit-based promotional system, the police high command has instituted additional pathways to promote members to the supervisory cadre of the force. For example, officers who may have failed their promotional examinations but exhibit the necessary maturity, attitude and aptitude, may qualify for promotion following their successful completion of in-service training courses.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES

The nexus between institutional structures, the culture of the organisation and professional outcomes is widely accepted. With this in mind, the JCF made deliberate efforts to reposition its institutional and cultural identify based on professional standards within several core formations. These formations conduct specialised functions, and their members possess critical competencies within the force. Consequently, they not only contribute immensely to the overall identity of the force, but their work sends the message that the Jamaica Constabulary Force is a body of highly professional practitioners.

For example, there is the Specialised Operations formation, which has highly trained teams that engage in intense and high-risk police operations. There are also the high-quality investigative formations, namely the Major Investigation Division (MID) and the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations Branch (C-TOC).

Other critical professional formations include: the Inspectorate and Professional Standards Oversight Bureau (IPROB); the technology formation; and the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB). At the geographic divisional level, there are the sub-units, which are given the role to oversee specific activities such as domestic violence intervention and sensitisation, and trafficking in persons investigations.

In a very systematic way, the Jamaica Constabulary Force is pursuing an elevated level of professionalism and efficiency that permeates throughout the force. The object of which is not just to remove any integrity questions that have surrounded the police force for many years, but to improve its effectiveness while reaffirming its role as the force for good in our society.

LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Leadership and accountability systems play crucial roles in defining the core values around which the actions of members must be centred.

It is quite clear that the leadership of the JCF has embraced a philosophy and practice of values-based policing. This is illustrated by the strong and consistent messaging by the force’s leadership around values such as the observance and enforcement of the ‘rule of law’, the show of ‘respect for all’ and the quest to continue being a ‘force for good’ for the public.

Even as the police force embarks upon its journey of implementing the ISO 9001 quality management system, the attendant accountability systems will ensure the continued improvement in its service delivery and performance standards.

Whether it is the notion of disregard for the rule of law while enforcing the law, or the perception of an inability to self-regulate or insensitivity to public opinion, the work currently being undertaken within the JCF is without question overturning these old narratives.

Through these efforts, the JCF is building trust with the people of Jamaica. The highly skilled professionals of the JCF are committed to providing a safer space for all Jamaicans to carry out their social and economic activities while removing any ‘infiltrators’ who seek to tarnish the good name of the police force.

Dr Horace Chang is Jamaica’s deputy prime minister, minister of national security and member of parliament for North West St James. Send feedback to securityminister@mns.gov.jm.