Change course, Commissioner

AT THE recent Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) conference, the chairman of the Jamaica Police Federation, Sgt Raymond Wilson, made some suggestions concerning the operation of the chaplaincy counselling unit that appears to be rejected by Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington.

No one can deny that the job of a policeman or policewoman is very stressful. The police work in one of the most violent nations in the world with a high murder rate. Therefore, adequate chaplaincy support should be provided with undivided attention. And recent murder-suicides by members of the JCF demonstrate that police workers are under stress.

The present chief chaplain, Bishop Gary Welch, is also commandant at the Training School. It means that Welch holds two full-time jobs. Both are very important and both are demanding work and should not be carried by one person. It is too stressful for Welch to be asked to carry both jobs.

Additionally, both positions carry a different police rank. The commandant carries the rank of senior superintendent while the chief chaplain carries the honorary rank of assistant commissioner. Can one man have two different ranks in the same police force? And the plot deepens when it is realised that the office of commandant is tenured while that of chief chaplain is a contract position! How does that work? And to add injury to insult, when is the retirement age in such a scenario?

In addition, Bishop Welch, when he was assistant chaplain, applied for the commandant position and was successful but was not able to hold both positions of assistant chaplain and commandant. So, how comes he can now hold the commandant position with a higher chaplaincy position - that which he was denied when at the lower level? Is it that being an assistant chaplain is a harder job than being a chief chaplain?

Untenable position

In addition, for the chaplain to hold two full-time jobs sets a bad example to other police chaplains. Can the assistant chaplain also hold another full-time job within the police force? Can a constable hold another full-time job within or without the JCF? The answer is no! Therefore, Bishop Welch is in an untenable position.

Bishop Gary Welch is a willing, energetic, affable and zealous person. But he should not be overworked. It is not good for his health. He should be either full-time chief chaplain only or commandant only. The commissioner of police says that Welch is doing a good job as commandant, while the chair-man of the federation has identified deficiencies in the chaplaincy services. The police force deserves someone who can dedicate full-time attention for a large police force.

The chairman made added allegations about a counselling programme not in place. Wilson is not known for making wild allegations, but let us hope that he is ill-advised on this one. If he is correct, then it would mean that the last chief chaplain did not leave a plan, or that the new chaplain is not following that plan or any plan at all.

Unemployment is also high in Jamaica and, therefore, one person should not have two full-time positions in the same organisation. Nothing is wrong with having one full-time job and then to have a part-time, but not two full-time jobs.

The commissioner needs to deal with this situation by changing course and separate the two full-time positions.

Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. Send comments to columns@gleanerjm.com