Wrong signal, cops

By Gary Spaulding

Prior to the bribery case in which Senior Superintendent of Police James Forbes has found himself enmeshed, he was widely regarded, by the media, wider public, and rank and file cops, as a professional of enviable integrity.

Forbes' conduct, over the years, has commanded great admiration - as an effective law-enforcement officer from the days when he was chairman of the Police Federation, then head of the Constabulary Communication Network, until he was seconded to the Port Authority, and now as leader of the Community Safety and Security Branch.

It was not surprising that in 2008, Forbes, who is remarkably approachable, was honoured by his peers at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

Many Jamaicans, including the police commissioner, would want to be reassured that Forbes' good name is preserved.

Forbes would likely have felt encouraged with the outpouring of support from his colleagues, mainly from the officer corps, at the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court in Half-Way Tree last Wednesday.

But there is a downside to this.

It appears that many of the hard-working professionals in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) who came out to show their support for Forbes missed the unfortunate signal that might have been conveyed to rank-and-file members, as well as the wider populace.

In the troublingly distrusting atmosphere in which the police are forced to interface with the public, there is a growing perception that senior officers were too robust in backing their embattled colleague.

Put bluntly, Forbes is in a legal muddle. He naturally expects and deserves the support of his peers.

Unfortunately, many view the ugly spectacle of the amassing of uniformed officers on their way with Forbes as a bid at intimidation before the court - a place that, ironically, represents justice for all.

Resident Magistrate Georgianna Fraser's assurance that "curry-favour" will not be countenanced may have fallen on deaf years, as the senior cadre made their presence felt.

By their pronouncements, many cynical Jamaicans are wondering whether Sergeant Jubert Llewellyn, seemingly alone as the complainant, will be able to withstand the pressure, subtle and otherwise. Already, The Gleaner revealed last week that the sergeant and his family have had to undergo counselling as stress takes its toll.

The senior officers, by their very presence and comments, may have signalled that the battle lines are drawn. Will the Police Federation follow suit?

Unfortunately, in Jamaica, where the 'squaddie' mentality of police complicity and secrecy abounds, the officers may have failed to put enough thought into the impressions that may be formed by the public as they closed ranks around their beleaguered colleague.

Public confidence, at the community or national level, is at the core of effective policing. Ironically, it was Forbes who was mandated to formulate strategies to close the widening rift between police and civilians. His work had become more difficult with the high number of killings by the police, which included mothers and daughters among the fatalities.

The deaths of Cassava Piece resident 45-year-old Dianne Gordon and 16-year-old Vanessa Kirkland, Immaculate Conception High School student, continue to rankle Jamaicans.

The JCF has acknowledged that its primary challenge is managing change. Currently, most of the police's energies and manpower are devoted to fighting serious crime, and providing response policing.

The Police High Command states that while it is recognised that community policing is a strategic investment in promoting neighbourhood safety, it cannot be pursued at the expense of incidental crime solving.

The challenge is to address the urgent and real needs of crime-fighting and emergency response, while effecting a culture shift through community policing.

Despite the obvious challenges and man-power demands, there continue to be advances towards adopting community policing as an overall philosophy and strategy for the JCF and the people of Jamaica.

The inevitable question is whether the attitudes of the senior police officers who not-so-subtly flexed their collective muscles are serving to foster the necessary change that will facilitate good relations between the man in the street and the man in red (or blue) seam.

Gary Spaulding is a political and current affairs journalist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com.