Force drivers go extra mile

Sheldon Williams, Gleaner Writer

When a call is made to 119 it goes directly to police control, which in turn alerts mobile units through radio bulletins.

The police officers 'on the ground' then proceed as quickly as possible to the emergency. The officers responsible for transporting their teams are from the select few known as force drivers.

A force driver undergoes specialised training at the Central Police Motor Driving School, an entity within the Transport and Repairs Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), while the school does training for police divisions in the Corporate Area, as police divisions in the rural areas received their own driving schools a few years ago.

Inspector Orane Cameron, chief driving instructor at the Central Police Motor Driving School, said "a couple years ago the driving school was decentralised where all the areas - Area One, Area Two and Area Three - were given their own driving schools. So, the Central Police Motor Driving School was mandated to train all the officers in Areas Four and Five, and all the areas within the Corporate Area".

Area One includes Westmoreland, Hanover, St James and Trelawny, while Area Two consists of St Ann, St Mary and Portland. St Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon are in Area Three and Kingston East, Kingston Central, Kingston West, St Andrew South and St Andrew Central comprise Area Four. Area Five includes St Andrew North, St Catherine South, St Catherine North and St Thomas.

Cameron noted that the driving schools outside the Corporate Area are not as functional as they should be, as driving instructors from those areas be have retired or been transferred.

The Central Police Motor Driving School has a full complement of 12 driving instructors - eight corporals, a special constable, constable, sergeant and inspector.

Cameron was quick to point out that driver recruits are primarily selected, rather than formal application. "You can apply, but it's more of a selection process by the division or wherever that person is stationed," he emphasised. There are four levels of driver training - basic, then qualified, upgrade and, finally, automatic.

The nine-week basic training targets police officers who do not yet have a driver's licence. "You teach them to drive and take them to the examination depot just like the ordinary civilian who is out there, and the police is not treated differently from civilians. We are not given any special treatment, and I like that," Cameron emphasised. He also added that there is a one-week classroom session.

The qualified level is for police officers cops who already have a driver's licence, some prior to joining the force. Still, Cameron said they still have to prove themselves. "For them to become a force driver they have to go through a screening process, where they are given a test on the road code," Cameron said. There is also a written test on service vehicles.

"After written test they are given a practical where they are taken out on the compound of the Police Academy or on the road in groups, where their competence is tested to see if they can manage with standard vehicles," he said. Those who are successful attend classroom sessions for one week, where they are tested on daily maintenance (or drivers' prayer), observation and the system of motor car control, among other areas. The police officers are also lectured in the use of the siren.

Upon completion of the classroom sessions, students are taken on the road for another two weeks, where they "travel the island as part of their training and drive the service vehicles with the use of sirens". Cameron dismissed any misconception that police officers are allowed to exceed the speed limit while driving service vehicles.

rules of the road

"The police are not exempted when it comes to speeding. We are expected to drive within the speed limit and obey the rules of the road," he remarked. Cameron referred to the Road Traffic Emergency Vehicles Regulations of 1961 (Section 59) governing the use of sirens, and sought to explain in layman terms when a police vehicle is to be considered an emergency vehicle.

He quoted: "The only time the police vehicle is considered an emergency vehicle is when it is carrying officers to or from the scene of a fire or a place from which an alarm of a fire has been sent."

Cameron explained that "permission must be granted by police control or a superior for a siren to be used. If there is a distress call, the police officer must seek permission from police control or a supervisor to use the siren".

By the upgrade, police officers move on to driving bigger vehicles, such as trucks and buses. Cameron explained that this level targets persons who are already force drivers and who might have the requisite driver's licences (open general). However, "If they do not have it, a truck is used to train them and then they are taken to the depot".

The automatic level focuses on qualifying drivers to drive vehicles with an automatic transmission, but Cameron said he always encourages force drivers to qualify to drive standard vehicles, to avoid putting themselves at a disadvantage.

On May 31 of this year a training vehicle overturned during a training exercise, injuring the driving instructor and trainees. All of them are still recuperating. However, Inspector Cameron emphasised that "for the past 15 years, there has only been one major accident in training".

On Friday, a number of policemen graduated as force drivers, the ceremony held at the Jamaica Constabulary Staff College, In-Service Training Centre, Twickenham Park, St Catherine. Sergeant Delroy Toban of the JCF Marine Division and captain of the graduating class was elated. "It is nerve-wracking because of the stringency now being placed on the use and care of the service vehicle. We now realise that a lot more is required of us, because the slightest mistake and you could be out," he said. Toban was among those who did the qualifying driving and maintenance course.

Constable Anderson McDonald who passed the upgrading driving and maintenance course, lauded the training he received and joked about the bittersweet moments.

"The upgrade training was rough, but it was fun. Rain wet we, sun bun we but it was fun," he said. He explained that students spent most of their time in the back of the truck being used for training exercises, as the cab can only accommodate the instructor and a student.

Toban and McDonald were among a batch of 50 graduates.