Castleton Station in the St. Mary Division emerged as the Top Station in the Area 2 Transforming Our Police Service (TOPS) Competition organized by the Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA).
The station was among several winners announced at an awards ceremony held recently at Cardiff Hotel and Spa in Runaway Bay in St. Ann during Police Week.
Castleton bested some 31 stations in the three divisions – St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland – that comprise Area 2, and supplanted Bamboo Station in St. Ann Division as Top Station in Area 2. The station was also given $200,000, to be directed to a station project of choice and Couples Resorts sponsored a weekend pass for 2 to the winning Commander.
The station was not the only station in the St. Mary Division to cop a top award as the Oracabessa Station walked away with the Top Prisoners in Custody Station Award. In fact, Oracabessa Station is the only repeat winner from the inaugural competition, which was launched in 2019. The station received perimeter lights donated and to be installed by PowerGrid Electrical.
Aside from fielding two top awardees, the St. Mary Division also won the coveted title of Top Division in Area 2, toppling the Portland Division, who won the award in 2019. The division received 8 passes to the Joy Spence Appleton Rum Tour in St. Elizabeth.
The Runaway Bay Station in the St. Ann Division was awarded Top Customer Service Station for which they received 5 passes to Chukka Adventure Tours. This was the first time that a station or division has won this award in Area 2 as this award was added to the competition post 2019. This station was also awarded the Top Station in the St. Ann Division, beating 11 stations in the division. Cardiff Hotel and Spa donated dinner for 2 to the station commander.
The Buff Bay Station won the Top Station in the Portland Division, replacing San San Station, the winners in 2019. Interestingly, the Buff Bay Station Commander, Inspector Richard Taylor, was the Station Commander for San San Station in 2019. Local businesses in Portland sponsored prizes which included a weekend for 2 at the Sea Cliff Resort and a supply of drinking water from Zanuja Purified Water Store.
The Top Marine Outpost in Area 2 Award, which was a new award category in this year’s competition, went to the outpost located at the Errol Flynn Marina in the Portland Division. This award was sponsored by Lannaman and Morris Shipping to the tune of $150,000, which will go towards an outpost project of choice. Guardsman also gave the outpost 10 guest passes to Puerto Seco Beach in Discovery Bay, St. Ann.
The Trelawny Division was presented the Dr. the Hon. Marshall Hall Award, which is given in honour of late PCOA Member, Dr. the Hon. Marshall Hall, who was a staunch supporter of the TOPS programme. The award is presented to the division or station showing the most improvement in the TOPS Re-inspection, which was Area 1 (St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland and Trelawny), where the competition was held in 2023.
This division exhibited the greatest improvement ever seen in TOPS Re-inspection history, with all the stations attaining perfection in records management. It was also the second division, St. Catherine North Division being the other, to be bestowed this award. Sponsors Pan Jamaica Group Limited gave $100,000, which will go towards funding a station project chosen by the recipient of this award.
The PCOA Leadership Legacy Award, which was also introduced in this year’s competition, was given to Sgt. Garfield Wallace of Above Rocks Station in the St. Catherine North Division. This award, which represents the commitment of PCOA staff to invest in a tangible way, to a station commander and station that displays exemplary leadership and dedication. This station received much needed fans. mattrasses and two perimeter lights purchased by PCOA staff.
The biggest prize of them all and a new category to be presented every six years is the Top of TOPS Award. This award was conferred on Bull Bay Station in the Kingston Eastern Division, which was Top Station winner in Area 4.
This station triumphed over four other contenders, each a previous Area Top Station winner for the period 2019-2023. The other stations were: Area 1 Top Station Winner – Bluefields (Westmoreland Division); Area 2 Top Station Winner – Bamboo (St. Ann Division); Area 3 Top Station Winner – Asia (Manchester Division); and, Area 5 Top Station Winner – Above Rocks (St. Catherine North Division).
The Bull Bay Station since winning the Top Station in Area 4 title in 2021 had to relocate due to the development of the Southern Coastal Highway. The station, which is under the helm of Inspector Paul Cummings, received a cheque valued at $300,000, which will go towards a station project. The Station Commander received an investment account with an opening balance of $150,000 from Barita Foundation.
All awardees received Campari gift baskets as well as PCOA gift baskets. JPS gift vouchers with a total value of $150,000, were evenly distributed among the awardees, with the exception of the Top Division, receiving double the amount.
The TOPS Programme which was launched in 2019 in Area 2, is aimed at fostering greater conformance with prescribed JCF policies as well as raising morale among police personnel. The programme also facilitates a broader objective of the PCOA to enhance the culture of policing in the community and by extension, the business community, through professionalism and police partnerships built on openness, trust and accountability.
TOPS has four components – a competition; an awards ceremony; a performance review meeting with the JCF hierarchy including the Commissioner of Police and PCOA Members, where targets for improvements are set and agreed upon; and a re-inspection.
The original article can be found here.