TRAINING A MAJOR PRIORITY OF SECURITY MINISTRY

BY: LESLINE GILZENE

New members of the Jamaica Contabulary Force at their recent graduation at the Jamaica Police Academy in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine.

The training and retraining of security personnel continues to be a major priority of the Ministry of National Security.

Several  Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) officers were trained this year in different disciplines,  as part of  a thrust to keep the forces current on crime fighting strategies.

In January 2009, the first batch of local military pilots graduated from the Jamaica Military Aviation School (JMAS). The three pilots, Lieutenants Victor Dawkins, Osmar Fiddler and Melecia Sinclair commenced training locally under the JDF at JMAS on July 2, 2008, months after the school opened its doors.

The opening of the JMAS training facility marked the end of an era of Canadian training. In the meanwhile, the JCF presented certificates to 60 of its members after they completed  two weeks of  training  in driving and maintenance. The 60 police officers were deployed in Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth.

In addition,  27 seven District Constables were trained for six weeks in a course, aimed at improving communication skills, tact and ethics in law enforcement, which ended in August of this year. The training component of the course, which was held at the Jamaica Police Academy, Tranquility Bay Campus, in St. Elizabeth, covered stress management, protocol and etiquette, the role and primary duties of a District Constable, organisational expectations, customer service and community based policing.

Border Security

As the region continues to take proactive steps in protecting its border,  24 immigration officers from the English speaking Caribbean, including Jamaica, completed the first two-week regional border management training at Twickenham Park, St. Catherine.

The course was conducted by the Caribbean Regional Law Enforcement Training Centre (REDTRAC), and was aimed at providing training and education that will promote better understanding of issues pertaining to border security management; improving the knowledge and skills of immigration officers, regarding the level of service delivery while securing borders; and developing trainers to train frontline officers at air  and seaports.

Among the areas covered were: the evolving role and functions of the immigration service; immigration functionality in the regional security framework; the regional security environment; regional border intelligence; service delivery; change management and profiling and interviewing techniques.

It was the first time that a regional border management course was being held in the region. The course was co-ordinated by the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) and the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).

 Re-certification in Weapons Usage

Throughout the year, members of the JCF, Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) and District Constables, through the Ministry of National Security, were recertified in the use of weapons.

Assistant Commissioner of Police  Paul Robinson, explained that there have been significant improvements in firearms training provided by the JCF, since the formation of the Firearms and Use of Force Task Group more than 15 months ago.

In an effort to train the full capacity of the force, the JCF has beefed up its range capacity at Twickenham Park, so that 12 to 24 officers can be trained at once.