Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, has taken note of reports in mainstream and social media that persons who have visited police stations to make reports after the start of curfew hours have been turned away.
Commissioner Anderson is assuring the public that the recently reported incidents ought not to define us as a Police Force and that the majority of the men and women of the Constabulary are committed to serving and protecting the people in Jamaica.
“We continue to provide a 24-hour service to the public that can be accessed from any Police Station of choice. There are no orders under the Disaster Risk Management Act and it is not the policy of the JCF that any member of the public be turned away from any police station, even with a curfew in effect,” said Anderson.
“We have, over the last months gone above and beyond the call of duty to assist and protect our citizens in some of our most volatile and vulnerable communities and the majority of our members have been doing so in a professional manner. We will not however, allow for these latest incidents to derail the strides we are making to be your Police Force, committed to delivering on our mandate to serve, protect and reassure,” he continued.
The Commissioner notes that, as a Force, we will continue to build public confidence and will not accept behaviours that are not aligned with our professional standards and policies.
“We continue to take steps to keep our members informed of their responsibilities especially as it relates to the DRMA and where there are inconsistencies with what our members demonstrate and what is expected of them, we take the necessary actions, supported by thorough investigations”, the Commissioner remarked.
The Police Commissioner has urged all members to observe the policy guidelines of the Force and has issued clear directives to all Area and Divisional Commanders to ensure that members are consistently reminded of their responsibilities as required by policy and by law. In the specific instances reported on, the Inspectorate and Professional Standards Oversight Bureau (IPROB) has commenced internal investigations.
