Graduates of the Jamaica Island Special Constabulary Force at the Jamaica Police Academy's Passing out Parade at Twickenham Park, St. Catherine last November. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERTHE EDITOR, Sir:
I AM constrained to respond to the Letter of the Day printed in your daily Gleaner dated Tuesday, May 16, 2006 captioned "Deployment of Police 'Specials' Needs Review".
The author, Mr. Seymour Chevannes, requested a review of the relevance of the existence of the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) a request which seems to be motivated by a reported incident in The Jamaica Observer of May 11-15, 2006, about an alleged beating of a woman by members of the Island Special Constabulary Force in Half-Way Tree on Wednesday, May 10.
Firstly, let me respond to the allegation of the beating of the woman by members of the Island Special Constabulary Force. None of the pictures in The Observer shared any evidence of beating by members of the Island Special Constabulary Force.
ACCOUNT
Accordingly, I will give an account of members of the ISCF who were involved in the alleged incident.
On Wednesday, May 10, at about 5:30 p.m., Commander William Malabver and four other members of the Island Special Constabulary Force were conducting an operation in the Half-Way Tree area in the vicinity of North Odeon Avenue, targeting illegal operators of public passenger vehicles when they observed a white Toyota Corolla station wagon letting off passengers and collecting fares.
The driver was approached and asked to produce the particulars of the motor vehicle, to which the driver refused and attempted to drive off. However, his attempts failed because of the quick actions of Commander Malabver and his team.
Suddenly, their actions were interrupted by a woman who placed herself as a human shield, thus allowing the driver to drive away.
The allegations for which she has been charged are that she boisterously and physically assaulted members of the police party, injuring the sole female constable that was present. She then took off her blouse which was the only firm piece of clothing that would allow the police to hold her firmly. This is a ploy now being used by some women in order to be elusive and to create distraction.
The report in The Weekend Star dated May 12, on page three under the caption "Vendor fined for indecent exposure", is instructive.
NEGATIVE PERCEPTION
While we do not profess perfection in the lawful execution of our duties, the negative perception that captures the attention of the public is a reminder of the level of lawlessness and the disregard for the rule of law that seems to permeate our society today.
In response to Mr. Chevannes' question as to the relevance of the Island Special Constabulary Force, the performance of the ISCF since our new mandate speaks volumes as to our relevance. Between February 2003-April 2006, the total number of offences detected by the ISCF amount to 315,288.
The Island Special Constabulary Force is under the command of the Commissioner of Police with the mandate to restore order in public places. Simply put, the role of the Island Special Constabulary Force (Division of Labour) is to concentrate on the minor offences, thus allowing the Jamaica Constabulary Force to focus on major crimes. Both organisations complement each other.
I am, etc.,
OSMOND BROMFIELD,
J.P.
Commandant
ISCF
