Worrying trend as 'brazen' police hopefuls present bogus certificates

The recruitment chief of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has expressed grave concern at the willingness of police hopefuls to try to beat its vetting systems with bogus academic qualifications.

Deputy Superintendent Dian Bartley was in the process of questioning two persons who had just submitted bogus Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) certificates during a recruitment exercise at Spanish Town High School in St Catherine on Saturday when she shared her concerns.

Prior to that, two other persons who were caught with fake documents had been escorted to the police station.

“It is a major issue. On several occasions we have had to arrest individuals who present fraudulent documents at these recruitment drives,” she told The Gleaner.

Bartley recalled three persons being arrested last year for submitting false documents during one of the recruitment efforts.

The Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch conducted further investigations and trio were placed before the court and made to pay a fine and do community service.

“To be presenting it to the force to say you want to be a police officer, it is the brazenness of the act; that is what is very disturbing,” she said.

“In these times when the Government pays for four subjects for you, and when you consider how much you pay to get one of these, it makes more sense that you apply yourself judiciously to your academic pursuit,” she cautioned prospective applicants.

The deputy superintendent said that investigations revealed that a fake CXC certificate it costs about $20,000. Both CXC and The University of the West Indies, Mona, alerted the public to a fraudulent online scheme offering bogus certificates and degrees at the start of the year.

The university got wind of the scheme by a Facebook post from a user advertising certificates from The UWI, CXC, and the HEART NSTA Trust. Certificates were being sold for between $25,000 and $45,000. The person who made the post said she is a former employee at CXC.

One of those who were caught with the fake document during Saturday’s recruitment drive told The Gleaner that she got certification from someone claiming to be an employee at CXC.

“I did not know that it was really fake,” said the 27-year-old, adding that she was eager to join the force because she wanted to protect people.

Bartley said that recruits' willingness to submit bogus documents was evidence that they were doubtful, or unaware, of the police's competence in detecting fakes.

“That, for me, is more than an ethical conundrum,” said the senior cop.

“It is the disregard you have for the institution of law and order, which is the JCF, that you are going to present a fraudulent document here.”

The deputy superintendent urged police hopefuls to present their transcript.

"If you don’t have the originals, come with your transcript, that’s the best way to verify,” Bartley cautioned.

The JCF is hoping to recruit 1,500 persons during fiscal year 2021-2022 in order to bolster its manpower.

Recruitment drives have been held in several parishes over the last two weeks, with other such initiatives being planned for more locations in the coming week.

The force sheds an estimated 500 members through attrition annually.

nadine.wilson@gleanerjm.com