The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is the official
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
force of
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
.
Role
The force is the arm of the Ministry which is responsible for the maintenance of law and order, the prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of alleged crimes, the protection of life and property and the enforcement of all criminal laws as defined by the Jamaican penal code. The JCF also provides general assistance to the public, as needed. By adherence to their Citizens' Charter, the JCF endeavours to serve its citizens in general service and through the impartial, transparent enforcement of law and order.
Academy
The National Police College of Jamaica , formerly known as the Jamaica Police Academy is the Constabulary's
training school located at Twickenham Park in
Spanish Town. Twickenham Park was home to the Jamaica School of Agriculture from 1942 to 1981. The school was defunct in 1981. Simultaneously, there was a push to urbanize the Twickenham Park Area. This urban development gave some land to the JCF. Under the guidance of Commissioner Bill Bowes, police school from Port Royal was relocated to Twickenham Park in 1982. After its relocation, in 1982, the institution was renamed the Jamaica Police Academy (JPA). The lecture theatre of the JPA was unveiled in July 1987 by the
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
. The National Police College of Jamaica was established in June 2014.
Areas of the Jamaica Constabulary Force
* Area One: Trelawny, St. James, Westmoreland, Hanover
* Area Two: St. Ann, St. Mary, Portland
* Area Three: Clarendon, Manchester, St. Elizabeth
* Area Four: St. Andrew Central, St. Andrew South, Kingston Western, Kingston Central, Kingston Eastern
* Area Five: St. Andrew North, St. Catherine South, St. Catherine North, St. Thomas
Commissioners of police
The commissioners of police from 1867 to present are as follows.
Ranks
There are 11
ranks in the JCF. They are (in order of highest to lowest):
*Commissioner (one
laurel wreath
A laurel wreath is a round wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cherry laurel (''Prunus laurocerasus''). It is a s ...
and one
crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
on each shoulder strap)
*Deputy Commissioner (one laurel wreath and two stars on each shoulder strap)
*Assistant Commissioner (one laurel wreath on each shoulder strap)
*Senior Superintendent (one crown and one star on each shoulder strap)
*Superintendent (one crown on each shoulder strap)
*Deputy Superintendent (three stars on each shoulder strap)
*Assistant Superintendent (two stars on each shoulder strap)
*Inspector (two metal bars on each shoulder strap)
*Sergeant (three
chevrons
Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to:
Science and technology
* Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines
* Chevron (anatomy), a bone
* '' Eulithis testata'', a moth
* Chevron (geology), a fold in rock l ...
on right sleeve)
*Corporal (two chevrons on right sleeve)
*Constable (No emblem)
*District Constables (No emblem)
Badges
Gazetted ranks
Non-gazetted ranks
Uniform
;Constable through sergeant:
*Blue/black serge trousers with red stripes down each seam, worn with either a white and blue striped short-sleeved shirt. The hat is a black peaked cap with a red band.
;Inspector through commissioner:
*Light khaki jacket, shirt and trousers, with epaulettes on the shoulders. A blue/black cap is worn with a black band and silver braiding on the peak. The hat for Inspectors is a black peaked cap with a red band.
A white, high-collared tunic is sometimes worn by all ranks on ceremonial occasions, with blue/black peaked cap and trousers.
Payscale
A recently graduated police constable's basic pay is
J$$852,000 each year or J$71,000 per month. They receive a housing allowance of J$34,500 and get J$21,000 for a set overtime period of 10 hours, which totals J$126,500 before taxes. After taxes, a new constable's net pay (take-home pay) is J$121,000 monthly. The salary in each rank gradually increases with experience.
Excluding the contracted posts of commissioner and deputy commissioner, the top of the officer class is assistant commissioner.
Deputy commissioners earn in the region of J$10.5million. The commissioner's basic salary per year is $13.5million, to which is added approximately $4.3million in benefits for a total compensation package of $17.8million annually or $1.48 million per month.
Training
Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force are trained at one of two colleges; Twickenham Park, Spanish Town, St.Catherine and Harman Barracks Training Wing in Kingston, adjacent to Up Park Camp. Recruits undergo a minimum of six months' basic training. Students are required to sit for four written examinations called modules, and twelve practical tests. They are exposed to on-the-job training through visits to selected police stations and parish courts. Upon completion of basic training, they are transferred to various divisions (where they are placed under supervision of the divisional training sub-officer) to continue their two-year probationary training. At the end of 18 months' service, probationary officers return to the Jamaica Police Academy for an additional five weeks of training. Thereafter, they return to their divisions to complete the probationary period.
Some elements of the JCF are trained in a para-military fashion, and the element of the force is the Specialized Operations Branch (formerly Mobile Reserve).
Equipment
*
Glock 17 & 19
![Glock17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Glock17.jpg)
*
Taser gun
A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended to ...
*
Heckler & Koch MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...
![Hkmp5count-terr-wiki](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Hkmp5count-terr-wiki.jpg)
*
M16 rifle
The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-ro ...
A1, A2 & A4
![M16A2 - AM](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/M16A2_-_AM.016070.jpg)
*
Ballistic Helmet
A combat helmet or battle helmet is a type of helmet. It is a piece of personal armor designed specifically to protect the head during combat. Modern combat helmets are mainly designed to protect from shrapnel and fragments, offer some protec ...
*
Baton
*
Handcuffs
*
Ballistic vest
A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. Th ...
*
Browning Hi-Power
*
M4 rifle
![PEO M4 Carbine RAS M68 CCO](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/PEO_M4_Carbine_RAS_M68_CCO.png)
* Patrol Vehicles
:*
Mitsubishi Triton
The Mitsubishi Triton is a compact pickup truck produced by Mitsubishi Motors. In Japan, where it has only been sold intermittently and in small numbers, it was originally known as the Mitsubishi Forte and from 1991 as the Strada. In the Unite ...
:*
Suzuki Vitara
:*
Toyota Corolla
:*
Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage is a lineup of sport utility vehicles manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 1993. Since 2004, the Sportage has been categorized as a compact crossover SUV, while previously it occupied the compact SUV class. It ...
:*
Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento ( ko, 기아 쏘렌토, translit=Gia Sorento) is a mid-size crossover SUV (formerly a body-on-frame SUV until 2009) produced since 2002 by South Korean manufacturer Kia.
First generation (BL; 2002)
2002–2006
Debuted i ...
:*
Toyota Hilux
The , stylized as HiLux and historically as Hi-Lux, is a series of pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The majority of these vehicles are sold as pickup truck or cab chassis variants, although the ...
:*
Toyota RAV4
The is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Considered the first ever compact crossover SUV, it made its debut in Japan and Europe in 1994, and in North America in 1995, being launched in January 19 ...
* Transport
:*
Toyota Coaster
The is a single-decker minibus produced by Toyota Motor Corporation. It was introduced in 1969, with the second generation introduced in 1982, followed by the third generation in 1993 and the fourth generation in late 2016. In Japan, the Coa ...
:*
Toyota Hiace
The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. First launched in October 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of body configurations, including a minivan/M ...
* Aircraft
:*
Bell 407
The Bell 407 is a four-blade, single-engine, civil utility helicopter. A derivative of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger, the 407 uses the four-blade, soft-in-plane design rotor with composite hub developed for the United States Army's OH-58D Kiowa W ...
Policing style
Use of deadly force
The Jamaican police have a history of
extrajudicial killings
An extrajudicial killing (also known as extrajudicial execution or extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, whether ...
.
In 2003 the Crime Management Unit (CMU), headed by the controversial Reneto Adams, was disbanded following allegations that it was "Jamaica's version of
Dirty Harry
''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department (SFP ...
".
Mark Shields
Mark Stephen Shields (May 25, 1937 – June 18, 2022) was an American political columnist, advisor, and commentator. He worked in leadership positions for many Democratic candidates' electoral campaigns.
Shields provided weekly political anal ...
, then of
Scotland Yard and later Deputy Police Commissioner of the JCF, was brought in from London to investigate; Adams was acquitted of shooting four people in an alleged extrajudicial execution.
In a climate of gang warfare cops with a record of killing gangsters such as Keith "Trinity" Gardner (noted for shooting several members of the Stone Crusher gang) and Cornwall "Bigga" Ford ( who was on the scene at the alleged killing of seven 15–20-year-old youths in Braeton in 2001) became folk heroes. The police team was searching for suspects who had killed a teacher in cold blood, and a policeman a few months earlier.
Per capita killings by the JCF are among the highest in the world. With a population of less than three million, police killed 140 people each year in the 1990s
[—five times the death rate in 1990s South Africa. Current rates may be as many as 300 per year. This makes Jamaica's police force "among the deadliest in the world".
On 31 July 2010, three policemen were arrested after they were filmed beating (and then shooting to death) an unarmed murder suspect, Ian Lloyd, in Buckfield, St. Ann; Lloyd was lying on the ground, writhing and apparently helpless. The footage was shown on TVJ television news 30 July 2010. Initial police reports were at variance with the actions shown in the amateur-video footage later released. The officers involved in the killing were acquitted due to an inability to present the maker of the video for court to authenticate it for evidentiary purposes.
]
History
The history of law enforcement in Jamaica began in 1716 when night watchmen
''Watchmen'' is an American comic book maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 before being collected in a single-vo ...
were appointed to serve the cities of Port Royal, Kingston, and the parishes of Saint Catherine and Saint Andrew. In 1832 the first attempt to establish a permanent police force began, and William Ramsay was appointed Inspector General of the police force in 1835.
This force continued in service until 1865, the year of the Morant Bay Rebellion
The Morant Bay Rebellion (11 October 1865) began with a protest march to the courthouse by hundreds of people led by preacher Paul Bogle in Morant Bay, Jamaica. Some were armed with sticks and stones. After seven men were shot and killed by th ...
. This uprising demonstrated the vulnerability of peace and law on Jamaica and caused the establishment of an improved police force, the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The force began operation with 984 members, under the direction of an Inspector General appointed by the Governor of Jamaica. The force continues to carry out police duties to the present day.
In July 2014, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Glenmore Hinds, was appointed the Acting Commissioner of Police following the sudden retirement of Police Commissioner Owen Ellington. In September 2014, the Minister of National Security announced the appointment of Deputy Commissioner Carl M. Williams, Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
, to become the new Commissioner of Police.
In December 2016, Dr. Carl Williams announced that he will be retiring from the Jamaica Constabulary Force effective January 6, 2017. The Police Services Commission immediately named Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Novelette P. Grant, JP, MA, M.Sc. to act as Commissioner of Police for 90 days effective January 7, 2017. DCP Grant is only female holding one of the four deputy commissioner rank in the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
On April 10, 2017, the Police Services Commission announced the appointment of Deputy Commissioner George F. Quallo as the new commissioner of police effective April 18, 2017.
On January 26, 2018, Mr. George Quallo announced that he will be retiring from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, he was expected to demit office in August 2018. On February 1, 2018, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Clifford Blake to act as Commissioner of Police until March 19, 2018, when Major General Antony Anderson will officially be appointed to the post. Major General A. Anderson will be the third former JDF head to be appointed as Commissioner of Police.
See also
* Island Special Constabulary Force
*Jamaica Rural Police Force (District Constable)
The Jamaica Rural Police Force, popularly known as the District Constable (D.C.), is an auxiliary to the Jamaica Constabulary Force. District constables are appointed by the Commissioner of Police and attached to a particular Police Station. Th ...
*Jamaica Police Federation
The Jamaica Police Federation is a union representing police officers in Jamaica from the ranks of Constable through to Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seni ...
*Crime in Jamaica
Some areas of Jamaica, particularly population centers such as Kingston, Montego Bay and Spanish Town, experience high levels of crime and violence. Jamaica has had one of the highest murder rates in the world for many years, according to Unit ...
*List of Law Enforcement agencies
A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any agency which enforces the law. This may be a special or local police/sheriffs, state troopers, and federal law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement ...
References
External links
*
Island Special Constabulary Force (auxiliary )
{{Authority control
Law enforcement in Jamaica
1716 establishments in Jamaica