Hanover police award students striving for excellence and change
Published:Wednesday | April 2, 2025 | 12:05 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
The Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) in the Hanover Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has identified and awarded 21 students from the parish whose turnaround in behaviour and conduct has put them on a part of excellence in their respective schools.
At the award ceremony, which was staged at the Lucea Christian Fellow Church last weekend under the theme ‘I Have Triumphed’, the students, in the presence of their parents, guardians and well-wishers, were celebrated for the improvements they have made, and the focus they have developed in their school lives.
Corporal Evon McIntyre, the police officer in charge of the community safety programme, said the idea to award the students was in keeping with the implementation of the programme across the parish. The initiative, a collaborative effort between the JCF, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, is designed to create safe and peaceful learning environment which is suitable for teaching and learning.
“Under the Safe School Programme, our (JCF) mandate includes mentorship. It also includes addressing students who exhibit anti-social behaviour, as we work together with the differing school administrations, geared towards the safety of the overall school environment,” said McIntyre, who pointed out that,under the programme, school resource officers (SRO) are deployed to schools with the potential for disciplinary challenges.
“Today, we pause to say we acknowledge you to be persons (students) who are making a difference in the school environment,” McIntyre told the students.
In her address to the students, Deputy Superintendent of Police Angela McIntosh-Gayle, the territorial officer for the JCF in the Hanover Division, said while 2024 could be described as a “terrible” one for the parish, the police are determined to make 2025 a much better year.
“We are looking for a secure future for all, and as such, it cannot be just for the adults, but also the children,” said McIntosh-Gayle, who appealed to the parents to properly monitor and supervise their children, noting that what the children are taught can, and will, have a great impact on their lives.
Dervan Dockery, the captain of the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force, encouraged the students to seek to find the potential that they have and use it to their advantage.
“Each of you carries within you a spark of potential, waiting to be ignited,” said Dockery, while noting that they will face challenges in life which they will need to navigate.
“In those moments when it would seem that the odds are stacked against you, that is when you should strive for excellence.”