The Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) is inviting students in the parishes of St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland, to unleash their creativity in this year’s Area 2 Transforming Our Police Service (TOPS) Poster Competition for Secondary Schools.
The competition, which opened on September 2, is back for its second year and will be held under the theme ‘Imaging #aforce4good: A People-Driven Transformation’.
“We are again inviting students, this time in police divisions in Area 2, to express their vision of a ‘Force for Good’ through art. We want to know how they view the role of the police, how they should interact with citizens, and what a truly positive police force looks like,” PCOA Chief Executive Officer, Otarah Byfield Nugent, told JIS News.
This year, the number of entries per school has been increased to three, to provide more students with the opportunity to have their say in how they feel about the police.
“Let your artwork inspire change in how we view police-citizen relationships and interactions,” the CEO said.
She added that this time around, the PCOA team engaged in pre-sensitisation sessions about the competition with the Ministry of Education and Youth Region 2 and 3 offices with oversight for the secondary schools within the three parishes, and individual schools as well as several art teachers in the three parishes.
Participating students are invited to go to the PCOA website – www.pcoa.gov.jm – for more information on the rules of the competition as well as poster specifications and how to enter.
Participants can also view the winning posters from the 2023 competition, which was held for secondary schools in St. James, Trelawny, Westmoreland and Hanover.
In addition to bigger and better prizes, including cash awards for both the top-three winners and their teachers, the winning artwork will be featured on calendars, which will be distributed throughout Area 2 and to key stakeholders, to help build a stronger partnership between the community and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
“Last year, the calendar was a hit with our stakeholders, especially members of the JCF, where you see them hung strategically for all to see,” the CEO said.
The winning posters will also be used to design and create a colouring book to be distributed in early-childhood institutions, with a view to reinforce in the minds of children positive police-citizen relationships.
Last year’s Area 1 TOPS Poster Competition winners were: first-prize winner, Adeija McBean, from Westwood High (Trelawny); first runner-up, Jacob Smith, Muschett High School (St. James); and second runner-up, Kiara Woozencraft of Spot Valley (St. James}.
The top artworks were framed and given to the Commissioner of Police, Dr. Kevin Blake; Minister of State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, and Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe.
The deadline for the uploading of posters to the website is Friday, October 18.
The winners will be announced during Police Week in November.
