The Police (Civilian Oversight) Authority Act, 2005 provides the PCOA with a Parliamentary mandate to among other things “monitor the implementation of policy of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and its Auxiliary,” and “conduct inspections of the Force and the Auxiliary”. In fulfilling this mandate, the PCOA through the Inspection and Monitoring Unit, have found guidance in the following JCF publications: Standing Orders; Force Orders; and, Manual for Community Policing Services Delivery. This is in addition to, the Jamaica Constabulary Force Strategic Priorities.
Prior to formalizing the inspection processes in 2009, inspections centred on the following areas: Firearms and Ammunition; Logs and Inspection Reports; Custody of Civilian Property; Fixed Assets and Mobility; Professional Standards and Anti-Corruption; Prisoners and Lock-ups; Governance, Leadership and Accountability; and Policies and Strategies. Subsequent to 2009, these areas were subsumed into selected areas of police service delivery – General Policing (records management; station management) and Prisoners in Custody including the condition of cells, records and adherence to the gazette capacity of lock-ups. Key observations regarding transportation plus the condition of station plants and surroundings also form part of inspections. Findings from these inspections are summarized in a report, which is disseminated to the Ministry of National Security, JCF High Command, Area Command and Divisional Commander.
Thematic Inspections
Thematic inspections seek to examine key policing issues in some detail and identify deficiencies as well as areas of good performance and report thereon. Such inspections are considered extremely important as they offer an opportunity to highlight specific aspects of policing and offer solutions on the way forward in correcting inadequacies. Additionally, it is anticipated that these inspections will not only serve to inform future strategies and policies but also spread good practice in the policing area inspected. The selection of thematic inspections is largely based on their immediate relevancy to current public discourse. The PCOA seeks not only to provide an understanding of these pressing issues but also to offer up possible solutions to ameliorate the problems being experienced.
Thematic inspections include:
- Understanding the Causes and Effects of Overcrowding in Police Lock-ups in Jamaica
- Children in Conflict with the Law [Custody Issues and Lock-up Conditions]
- Investigative Supervision and Management and their Impact on Clear up rates for selected Major Crimes: An Analytic Study of Selected Investigative Outcomes for 2013
- Review of the Management Practices and Efficiency of the JCF Transport Maintenance and Management Division
- The Marine Division (2023)
- The Canine Division (2024)
The Marine Division
Re-inspections (Monitoring)
The monitoring (re-inspections) of JCF Divisions remain the linchpin of the PCOA’s work in assisting in the transformative process of the JCF. This activity provides a broad assessment of the JCF with a view to determine strengths, weaknesses and prospects for improvement. Key attention during this monitoring is compliance with JCF Force Orders, Standing Orders and other regulations. There are 19 geographical divisions, which are collectively comprised of 174 stations.
Special Inspections
These inspections are usually directed in one area of police service delivery such as Prisoners in Custody (PIC) lock-ups, which targets the two most populated lock-up in each division. Other special inspections have included:
Gold Street Station in the Kingston Central Division.
Station Monitoring Programme (SMP)
The Station Monitoring Programme is a pilot programme, which was launched in November 2023. The programme seeks to determine whether there is a correlation between consistent monitoring and improved compliance with policies and procedures of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Two stations were selected for the programme - Gold Street Station in the Kingston Central Division and the Rockfort Station in the Kingston Eastern Division. Each station was monitored once a month. SMP is expected to end at the end of March 2024.
The New JCF Division Inspection Report Scorecard
Referred to initially as the PCOA Inspection Web Reporting Format, the JCF Division Inspection Scorecard was reintroduced in 2023. The aim of the scorecard is to: provide the public/stakeholders with an abbreviated report on the quality of police services in a geographic division; and to use tangible measurements as a uniform template to rate the police across the divisions. The scorecard is divided into two sections: general policing deliverables and divisional targets enunciated in the Police Commissioner’s Strategic Priorities and the division’s own policing plan. The scorecard was first introduced to the public at a General Stakeholders’ Meeting of the St. Catherine Parish Development Committee at the St. Catherine Parish Council Chambers on June30, 2010.