THE RECRUITMENT drive has come at a time which does not seem particularly favourable to the image of the JCF. The conduct of officers is under public scrutiny at the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry and in the Coroner's inquest for the Braeton killings. A number of civic watchdog groups have kept in the limelight questionable human rights conduct of some members of the Force.
At the same time, a dozen members of the force were killed last year, one of the highest per capita rates in the world. The work is stressful, dangerous and low-paid. Areas of urban policing amount to a state of war against heavily armed gangsters with little community support.
DSP Forbes attributes the strong response to the advertising campaign. There may be other reasons worth looking into. The police force has been traditionally regarded as a source of employment especially for those who have not experienced high academic achievement. Unemployment is now particularly severe in the recruitment age cohort of 18-24, whatever the level of achievement, and recruitment could well be an index of desperation.
There has been some tendency to violently exercise power in the uniform of the state security services and the influence of this on recruitment responses must also be considered.
We would hope that the retention of a fair image by the Force, despite its problems, and a genuine desire to serve are the prim-ary motivators for seeking to sign up.
But the JCF owes the citizens of this country the most careful social and psychological screening of its ample supply of applicants to give us the best possible men and women for the difficult job of fighting crime and maintaining law and order with due respect for human rights.
