WelfareUnit securingmembers’ well-being
THE FREQUENCY with which families have expressed satisfaction with the level of expeditious service in accessing multiple benefits has served as a measure of the service standard for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Welfare Unit.
The unit, which is headquartered at the Commissioner’s Office on Old Hope Road i n St Andrew, came i nto being in June 2018 as part of the force’s robust restructuring and transformation process. The office serves just under 12,000 sworn members of the constabulary. At the inception of the office, Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson described it as an investment in members of their well-being.
Since its inception, t he amount of time it took some police officers and their families to receive benefits due to them as a result of injury or death in the line of duty has dropped from years, in some instances, to weeks or even days. And the members have been expressing their satisfaction.
“My experience dismisses all the negatives I have heard about how members [of the JCF] are treated and time it takes to get assistance,” shared Constable Christopher Ferguson.
Ferguson, based at the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch, broke his leg in a service vehicle accident in May 2019. Through the intervention of the Welfare Unit, he had surgery immediately and received follow-up therapy to his leg – all at no expense to him.
“Not only did they pay all my medical bills and transportation to doctor’s appointments, but they visited frequently, contributing to my fast recovery process,” he said.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Raymond Wilson, the man in charge of the force’s Welfare Unit, Ferguson’s experience has now become the standard rather than the exception. Wilson said the unit operates on the premise that the JCF has a duty of care to its members who are put in harm’s way as result of the job they do to protect the nation.
“The establishment of the Welfare Office has reinforced welfare as a command responsibility. This means divisional commanders are now directly responsible and accountable for the wellbeing of members under their command. Our job at the office is to coordinate and oversee the activities in the division to ensure our members’ wellbeing remains a priority. We see to it that their needs are dealt with expeditiously … ,” Wilson said.
“When cases came up around benefits that people should have received, and didn’t get, we resolved those issues rapidly,” he said. Wilson added that the unit has assisted roughly 800 police officers since its inception – all within record time.
“Once the information is sent to the unit, within days of injuries, all your medical bills are covered.”
But Wilson also pointed out that the Welfare Unit caters to the needs not only of members who have been injured or those who have fallen ill or died. He explained that the unit also assists persons who hit snags in the retirement process and is actively seeking ways to improve the work conditions for members of the constabulary.
“The unit ensures that members are covered in all areas,” he said.