Jamaica Constabulary Force
Insignia of the JCF
Insignia of the JCF
AbbreviationJCF
MottoServe, Protect and Reassure
Agency overview
Formed1716
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionJamaica
Size10,990 sq mi (28,463.97 km2)
Population2,726,667 (2018)
Operational structure
HeadquartersKingston, Jamaica
Elected officer responsible
Agency executive
  • Antony Anderson, Commissioner of Police
Facilities
Stations
  • 5 area headquarters
  • 19 divisional headquarters
  • 190 stations
  • 4 recruiting centres
Website
Official website

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is the national police force of Jamaica.

History

The history of law enforcement in Jamaica began in 1716 when night watchmen 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. 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., 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.[1]

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.[2] 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.[3][4]

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 Margaret Thatcher. The National Police College of Jamaica was established in June 2014.[5]

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.[6]

1867–1878 Major J. H. Prenderville
1879–1886 Mr. E H. B. Hartwell
1887–1891 Captain L. F. Knollys, C.M.G.
1892–1895 Major M. J. Fawcett, C.M.G.
1900–1904 Mr. Edward F. Wright, C.M.G.
1904–1919 A. E. Kershaw, C.M.G.
1919–1925 Mr. William E. Clarke, C.M.G
1925–1932 Col. M. D. Harrell
1932–1947 Mr. Owen (Jack) Wright, C.B.E.
1948–1953 Mr. W. A. Calver
1953–1958 Col. R. T. Mitchelin, C.M.G., C.V.O., O.B.E.
1957–1962 Mr. L. P. R. Browning[7]
1962–1964 Mr. N. A. Croswell, C.M.G, M.B.E
1964–1970 Mr. A. G. Langdon, C.M.G. C.V.O, Q.P.M, J.P
1970–1973 Mr. J. R. Middleton, M.B.E
1973–1977 Mr. Basil L. Robinson, O.J., C.D. Q.P.M, J.P
1977–1980 Mr. D. O. Campbell, C.D.
1980–1982 Mr. W. O. Bowes, C.D.
1982–1984 Mr. J. E. Williams, C.D.
1984–1991 Mr. Herman Emanuel Ricketts, C.D., L.V.O.
1991–1993 Mr. Roy E. Thompson, C.D.
1993–1996 Col. Trevor N. N. MacMillan, O.D., J.P
1996–2005 Mr. Francis A. Forbes, C.D., J.P., L.L.B.
2005–2007 Mr. Lucius Thomas, C.D.
2007–2009 Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, C.D. JP, psc (n)
2010–2014 Mr. Owen Ellington, C.D., J.P., M.Sc. N.S.S., B.Sc. (Hons)
2014–2017 Dr. Carl Williams, OD, CD, JP, PhD
2017–2018 Mr. George Quallo
2018–present Major General Antony Bertram Anderson, CD, JP, MDA, BEng (Hons), psc

Ranks

There are 11 ranks in the JCF. They are (in order of highest to lowest):

  • Commissioner (one laurel wreath and one crown 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 on right sleeve)
  • Corporal (two chevrons on right sleeve)
  • Constable (No emblem)
  • District Constables (No emblem)

Badges

Gazetted ranks

RankCommissionerDeputy commissionerAssistant commissionerSenior superintendent
Insignia
RankSuperintendentDeputy superintendentAssistant superintendent
Insignia

Non-gazetted ranks

RankInspectorSergeantCorporalConstable
InsigniaNo badges assigned

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

As of April 2023, with the implementation of the government of Jamaica's new compensation review system, a recently graduated police constable's basic pay starts at J$ 173,056.63 per month gross. The salary increases each year and also with promotion. The highest level constable earns upwards of J$ 210,852.70 as basic pay. A constable with six (6) or more years of service earns a service pay which starts at J$ 20,000 monthly. Senior level constables earn more in service pay. There is also an overtime system allowing officers to earn more if they work beyond the hours they are scheduled to work.

Police officers are privy to allowances payable depending on where they work as also courses they have participated in. Some of those allowances include driving allowances, plain clothes allowance, technical allowance, etc.

Below is the starting monthly basic salary ranges of the other federated ranks of the JCF, not including allowances and other seniority remunerations.

  • Corporals - $221,527 - $269,909
  • Sergeant - $283,404 - $345,301
  • Inspector - $414,361 - $504,859

Listed below are the monthly minimum starting basic pay for the gazetted ranks of the JCF, not including allowances and other seniority remunerations.

  • Assistant Superintendent - $457,868
  • Deputy Superintendent - $518,035
  • Superintendent - $646,955
  • Senior Superintendent - $788,252
  • Assistant Commissioner - $960,409
  • Deputy Commissioner - $1,113,780
  • Commissioner of Police - $1,558,160

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

  • Patrol Vehicles
  • Transport
  • Aircraft

Controversies

The JCF has been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings.[8] 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".[9] Mark Shields, 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.[10]

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[11]) and Cornwall "Bigga" Ford ([12] who was on the scene at the alleged killing of seven 15–20-year-old youths in Braeton in 2001) became folk heroes.[13] 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[8]—five times the death rate in 1990s South Africa. Current rates may be as many as 300 per year.[14] This makes Jamaica's police force "among the deadliest in the world".[15]

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.[16] 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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "UPDATE: DCP Novlette Grant To Act As Police Commissioner". The Gleaner. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Police Commissioner George Quallo stepping down". jamaica-gleaner.com. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  3. ↑ Limited, Jamaica Observer. "New Top Cop". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "Jamaican Police Commissioner George Quallo quits - Caribbean News". 28 January 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  5. ↑ "History". www.npcj.edu.jm.
  6. ↑ "Past Commissioners | the Jamaica Constabulary Force". Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "Mr. L.P.R. Browning | The Jamaica Constabulary Force". www.jcf.gov.jm. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Jamaica:Killings and Violence by Police:How many more victims?". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009.
  9. ↑ Summers, Chris (14 May 2004). "Jamaica wrestles with police violence". BBC News.
  10. ↑ "What Reneto Adams brings to policing". Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  11. ↑ "Jamaica Gleaner News - the 'Trinity' legacy ... 17 months of success - Sunday | September 3, 2006". Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  12. ↑ "Bigga Ford testifies at Braeton inquest - News". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "Jamaica: The killing of the Braeton Seven - A justice system on trial. | Amnesty International". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  14. ↑ Brabazon, James (1 September 2007). "Gun-happy police add to Jamaica's killing spree". The Guardian. London.
  15. ↑ "Island of music and murder". aljazeera.net. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "Three cops arrested over video killing - Latest News". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
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