An Efficient Jamaican Police Force Please?

It is almost 3am but since I’m too worried to sleep I might as well blog. The most worrying thing about living in Jamaica right now is the crime situation. The events of tonight (or rather this morning) speak directly to that.

A little past midnight I was awaken by the persistent ringing of my phones. I checked the number and realized that it was one of my young relatives who was calling so I called her. Apparently, she had been trying to get her mother who had gone down to Montego Bay to visit relatives and wasn’t getting through. Finally, at about midnight, her mother answered the phone and in a hushed tone, told her that she can’t speak to her because someone was breaking into the house.

Apparently on reaching the house Montego Bay about 11pm, going through the gate with her daughter she was held up by some gunmen who demanded that they hand over their phones and money.

I have not been able to get the entire details but somehow they were allowed to go inside the house safely even though they had seen the faces of the gunmen. It would appear from the events that unfolded later that the gunmen returned to correct that error. The house is situated in one of those crime-ridden areas in Montego Bay so I really don’t understand why they even decided to go to the house at that time of the night.

The gunmen returned to the house and made several attempts to gain entry. I was told that they seemed to be hammering the door with something in an attempt to break it down. During this time, my family huddled in terror in one of the rooms in the house. After it appeared that the men were about to gain entry, they started screaming for bloody murder at which point they men left.

After I spoke with my relative (who was apparently too distraught to think straight and call the police before even calling me) I called 119 and reported the situation. Now that whole situation of the police itself needs an entire post. I wonder about the training they receive, if they are coached on how to deal with the public (or their jobs in general), and the procedures/system in place to deal with calls to the emergency number.

The first person I spoke to was ok, asked all the right questions about address, phone number, etc. I called back to provide additional information about the address and was answered by apparently one of the minority that causes the police to get a bad reputation. After relating the situation again because he said he wasn’t aware, didn’t hear anything about it, I asked if he will be dispatching someone immediately. The man, quite insolently asked me what I thought he should do. Upon answering that I think he should dispatch someone forthwith, he asked “Well, why yu asking then?” and hung up. I thought my question was quite pertinent, since I’ve heard all these horror stories about calls to the emergency number. You hear of cases where on contacting the police people are told to call back later, no vehicle is available to go to the scene etc. I don’t know how true this is but I’ve even heard of police upon being called, complained that the caller disturbed their viewing of a particular soap on tv.

Well, I called the police station that is nearby the house and spoke to someone who assured me that they were advised and someone had gone by the house. Now, if I explained that the family was holed up in one room, terrified and fearful that the criminals would return, why would the police just cruise past on the road instead of going to the house, looking around, speak to the occupants to ensure that they were safe?

Jeez, as I said before, I really wonder about the training that they receive. Honestly. On calling back I was told that the patrol vehicle drove past by the house and didn’t see anything. If the darn people are inside dead, what would they have seen, just cruising past. I shouldn’t be the one to explain all this.

My father lived in Canada all my life. He had diabetis and quite frequently would go into a diabetic coma because sometimes he just didn’t take his medication. In addition to hustling to Canada everytime my cousins call me frantically to advise that he’s in the hospital, I’d call from Jamaica frequently just to check in. I remember calling one day and couldn’t get in touch with him and had worked myself up to quite a state just worrying. I called my mother in the States. I don’t know how this work but somehow she was able to contact the police in Canada (she said she called 911 from the States) who at 1:00am went to my father’s house, and knocked him up and ensured that he was ok. Why can’t I get that type of service here in Ja? People might say, well, that’s a first world country, but shouldn’t we be making strides in that direction?

I don’t need to attend Police Academy to figure that if there are people distressed and fearful for their lives, I can’t just cruise past in my patrol car, not see any obvious signs of distress and assume all is well.

Anyway, I insisted that they return to the house. They did, alerted my family that they were outside, looked around the house and ensured that no one was lurking in the vicinity, and promised to patrol the road.

The police is one of the public sector groups who are currently agitating for more pay. I have no quarrel with that, but can we the taxpayers who are funding the salaries see some good service for this. As I said before this really requires another post, but everytime I have cause to deal with the police I wonder is there any serious attempt to effect some changes?