Shields, Green, Felice and Mclean

National Security Minister Derrick Smith has admitted that he expected more from the introduction of British police officers into the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

"I think that Jamaica was expecting something else; something more from the infusion of these foreign cops," the minister conceded in an interview with The Sun-day Gleaner.

Nevertheless, Mr. Smith said he was not ruling out adding to the five already here and would not hesitate if this became necessary.

"We have to deal with the problem on the ground and I am open to the idea of having more, if this is recommended," he said.

In 2005, the last government began a new trend - recruitment of foreign police officers to fill vacancies in the senior ranks of the Jamaica Consta-bulary Force.

appointments

Mark Shields, a former superintendent with London's Metropolitan Police, was the first to be recruited and appointed Deputy Commissioner in charge of the crime portfolio. Four other appointments have followed, the latest being Assistant Commissioner Justin Felice, formerly of the Northern Ireland police service. He has been placed in charge of the Anti-Corruption Branch.

Assistant Commis-sioner Leslie Green now heads the Major Investi-gations Task Force.

Reflecting on the performance of the foreign recruits so far, Mr. Smith admits that "like most Jamaicans, I was expecting something else". He concedes, however, that allowances had to be made for "the difficulties they encountered in fusing with the local system." Those difficulties, he said, included a failure to provide them with sufficient resources to do their jobs. He highlights the impact this inadequacy has had, particularly on the work of DCP Shields' office.

Accordingly, the minister disclosed that he would be meeting with the foreign officers shortly to get a full understanding of the challenges they have been encountering with a view to resolving these.

In the meantime, while not giving a commitment to recruit additional foreign cops, Mr. Smith says that he would not be "timid" about doing so if this was deemed necessary.

factors

At the same time, however, the minister reveals that there were factors beyond the control of the expatriate cops which might have undermined their ability to deliver more. Lack of adequate resources, he cites, for example, was a major inhibiting factor constraining the work of Mark Shields, the Deputy Commissioner, in charge of crime.

To fully understand this and other constraints, the minister said he would be meeting with the foreign officers shortly.

"Resources needed for them to do a good job were slow in coming. Even at this stage, I know in the crime management area under Deputy Commissioner Shields, some of the resources needed for him to do an effective job are still not in place. So, I go back to where I started. Like most Jamaicans, I was expecting something else, but one has to take into consideration the difficulties they encountered in fusing into the local system."

timid

"In the past, we could have been somewhat timid. I know when the then government wanted to introduce foreign cops at the operational level in the police force, they sought our concurrence because it was considered a very delicate matter at the time, and we agreed. And, yes, they might have been a bit timid, but that will not happen in the future because we are at the point where we are assessing what is going to happen. And there is some reorganisation that will take place coming out of the strategic review, and you could see a change in that situation. Not that I am suggesting we are definitely going to bring in more foreign cops, but we would not be hesitant if it becomes necessary, because we have to deal with the problem on the ground. I am open to the idea of more."

- Earl Moxam