Below the mark - Shooting range pass mark for local cops becomes centre of controversy
Published:Sunday | July 17, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
NEW POLICE recruits in Jamaica must hit the target at least six out of every 10 shots fired on the shooting range to pass the Jamaica Constabulary Force's (JCF) firearm training course, but one firearms expert is uncomfortable with this shooting pass mark. He is convinced that the bar is too low and believes that it accounts for what he describes as a plethora of accidental police shootings.
"By the way, now you know why the police (at 60 per cent pass rate) kill so many people by accident," said the concerned Jamaican in a document criticising changes at the Firearm Licensing Authority. He did not want to be named.
However, Clifford Blake, assistant commissioner of police in charge of training in the JCF, shot down the claim made by the concerned citizen. Blake intimated that the man had no statistics to back up his claim.
"I could never agree. And I would have to see the statistics that the police kill a lot of people by accident," the senior cop said sarcastically.
Specialist units
The police officer explained that while the pass mark for basic training is 60 per cent, there are specialist units within the ranks of the JCF that are held to a higher standard. "Their pass mark goes as high as 80 per cent," he said, while noting that some of the persons selected for specialist divisions, like the Mobile Reserve, are hitting the target "anywhere between 98 to a hundred per cent" of the time.
However, he admitted that the bulk of recruits are only required to hit the bullseye an average of six out of every 10 shots. If not, the recruit will not be allowed to graduate. "Some people have to stay back for additional training," he revealed.
The senior officer also said that every member of the security force must participate in an annual firearm recertification exercise.
In his continued defence of the police force's firearms training course, the assistant commissioner of police also pointed out that the programme was recently revamped. And he is confident that the current programme will stand the test of international scrutiny.
"I cannot speak for other countries, but I'm almost sure that it would be consistent with international standards."
However, Sunday Gleaner checks have revealed that at least one state in the United States of America has a higher shooting pass mark than the JCF.
In the New York State Police firearms training programme, a recruit must score at least 84 per cent on three consecutive shooting tests to pass the handgun course. This means that the basic pass mark in the New York State is higher than the specialist units' pass mark in the JCF.
"Basic school qualification requires the recruit to score 84 per cent, or higher, on each of three consecutive runs of the pistol qualification course. Pistol qualification requires a minimum proficiency score of 84 per cent, at specified distances and within established time limits; shotgun qualification requires 80 per cent proficiency," read a section of the New York State Police's website.
80 per cent minimum
In addition, all basic-school trainees in the New York State Police programme must pass a comprehensive written examination with a minimum score of 80 per cent.
The NY State Police website also noted that "firearms training for law enforcement demands more than mastering the fundamentals of marksmanship". As a result, the priorities for their firearms training programme are "safety first, accuracy second and speed last".
In neighbouring Barbados, the shooting pass mark is a tad higher than in Jamaica. But cops in training at the Royal Barbados Police Force's Regional Police Training Centre must hit the target more often than their counterparts in the JCF.
Inspector Christine Stanford, chief instructor at the Christ Church-based police training centre, told The Sunday Gleaner that new recruits are required to hit the target 19 out of 30 times when firing the .38-calibre pistol, which is 63.3 per cent.
Meanwhile, Blake, under whose purview the Jamaica Police Academy falls, stressed that the firearm training offered to new recruits by the JCF has a "strong human-rights component". The officer emphasised that new recruits must ace the use of force and human rights-component of the programme "before they can touch a gun".
"If they can't pass that, then they won't be placed on the range," Blake said.