On Friday, June 21, 2024, members of the St. Catherine South Division staged their 2nd annual Youth Empowerment and Edutainment Event. Held at the Portmore Police Station, the event aimed to engage the school community, inspire the youth and allow them to have an opportunity to build a relationship with the police.
Spearheaded by Detective Sergeant Damion Hammond, the division’s Safe School Coordinator, the event brought excitement as games long forgotten about or not common anymore were shown to the childen, who were drawn from various schools across the division.
To support the event, members of the Portmore Police Station came decked out in the uniforms of their alma mater to help lighten the mood. Deputy Superintendent of Police Natalie Palmer, who oversees the Safe Schools and Police Youth Club Unit at the Community Safety and Security Branch Headquarters, was one of those present. She showed her support by representing Pembroke Hall High School. She shared how important it is to engage with the youth. “It means being where they are, creating opportunities for them to interact with us, socializing, interacting, having the conversations we need to be having with our young people even if it means going back to the days of attending school,” she said.
