KINGSTON, Jamaica, Apr. 19, CMC – Police Commissioner Dr. Kevin Blake is warning members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), that unprofessional conduct by some officers could undermine recent gains in reducing violent crime, including murders.
In his latest weekly column in Force Orders, Blake said that while the JCF is seeing “very encouraging results” in its crime-fighting efforts, incidents of misconduct—some captured on social media—are a “cause for grave concern.”
He noted that such behaviour often affects the reputation of the entire organisation, not just individual officers.
“If you look at the public response, very few persons speak about the member as an individual, but instead as the JCF. That includes you and I,” he said.
The Commissioner stressed that achieving the Force’s long-term goal of bringing Jamaica’s murder rate in line with global averages will depend not only on policing strategies, but also on maintaining public trust.
“That target will not be achieved if we lose our legitimacy among the people,” he warned.
While pointing to sustained reductions in major crimes, Blake cautioned that these gains remain at risk if standards of conduct are not consistently upheld.
“There is no conflict between professionalism and firmness,” he said, adding that both must coexist within the Force.
He also urged officers to hold each other accountable and challenge inappropriate behaviour.
“I want you to share the High Command’s intolerance of these behaviours whenever you are on duty,” he said, reinforcing the need for a stronger culture of accountability within the JCF.
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