Montague urges cops to reject corruption
... promises improved working conditions
WHILE HEAPING glowing praise on the police for their service to the nation, including describing them as “the best trained in the western hemisphere”, National Security Minister Robert Montague yesterday call on lawmen to do all they can to fight corruption with their ranks.
“I have already stated that I will do all I can to fight corruption. Commissioner (George) Quallo has that stated he will lead the fight, but we need one more, just one more. Will you be that one person to stand up for that right? Will you make the tough decision to report others, even your ‘squaddie’?” asked Montague. He was giving the keynote address at the Jamaica Police Federation’s 74th Annual Joint Central Conference in Montego Bay.
In addressing corruption in its simplest form, Montague said that matters such as officers reporting late to work and not recording it, taking sick leave when they were not sick, lending out their health card, taking the squad car and go to visit a spouse, taking home paper clips and photocopying hundreds of pages unauthorised, all amounted to corruption.
“When you work hard to do what is right, pass all the exams and are overlooked, and others are promoted, that is corruption. When you know that is police shoot police and you are silent, that’s corruption,” added Montague.
In pointing to the need to have a clean police force, Montague asked how many members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) would encourage their children to join the JCF, noting that, “If we are serving and do not want our children to join, then something is wrong, and we must resolve today to begin to correct what is wrong.”
Montague went on to explain that the Government is working assiduously to improve the working conditions of the police, to include retired members who had entitlements that were not met.
“The programme to improve working conditions has gone well: 17 stations have been completed. We intend to do 30 for 2017. We are increasing the intake, training more so that you do not have to be overworked and stressed,” said Montague. “We paid the $309 million due to retired police officers, some from 2012. We are putting more resources into training and human resource development, our National Police College will soon become a polytechnic, where you can get your degree while working on the job.”