Reforming The Jamaica Constabulary Force: From Political To Professional Policing?

Community Policing Goes South: Policy Mobilities and New Geographies of Criminological Theory

“…Community policing first appeared as a formal strategy in Jamaica in the early 1990s, as the JCF began testing a modest pilot programme in two downtown Kingston communities. Though the efforts were initially sparse, they were a direct response to general calls for a comprehensive programme of police reform, intended to address a perceived legitimacy crisis that involved an exploding crime rate, a colonially derived authority structure, and entrenched corruption and abuse of power (Harriott 1997). While these early attempts arose due to internal political pressure, by the turn of the century international donors had become the primary funders of a reform agenda meant to professionalize the force.…”

Political corruption in the Caribbean basin : a comparative analysis of Jamaica and Costa Rica

“…The Jam aican police are so highly politicized that, in effect, they becom e the enforcem ent arm o f the ruling party as was seen in the 1976-1977 State o f Emergency (Harriott, 1997). The police are extremely violent-with approxim ately one-quarter o f all Jamaicans killed by gunshot each year being victims o f police shootings (Chevigny, 1995, p. 212).6 Through the M inister o f National Security and Justice, the ruling party directs the police to do its bidding, ranging from the control o f anti-government protesters to the targeting o f opposition party members.…”