Spanish Town youth positively impacted by cadet corps

Senior Superintendent (SSP) of Police Howard Chambers, who heads the St. Catherine Police Division, said the unit comprises students, who are recommended by principals and guidance counsellors.

They are equipped with discipline, leadership and life skills training for their personal development and to transform their lives.

SSP Chambers, who was addressing a virtual community forum on January 23, said the Corps is among initiatives by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to engage the young people in a positive way and to bring peace and order to the communities.

He noted that the Corps also serves as a recruitment pool for the JCF.

“We believe that with this programme, we can cultivate change agents for these communities across Spanish Town and its environs, and we will be able to instil some level of discipline and skills,” he noted.

Other community interventions include organising mathematics classes, which are held every Saturday afternoon at the Spanish Town Police Sation.

SSP Chambers said that the classes have provided opportunities for individuals to achieve success in their academics, noting the “many success stories” from students doing the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations.

“The Division continues to be involved in community activities; we are high on that. We believe that it is through community partnership – building that trust and confidence with the community members – that we will be able to sustain gains in crime reduction in the communities,” he contended.

Meanwhile, SSP Chambers reported that all serious and major crimes in the division are down, except larceny, but assured that strategies have been devised to tackle the issue.

He noted that the ‘Pon Di Corner’ monthly walks, aimed at engaging with residents, will continue.

The SSP also lauded the Brown’s Hall and Above Rocks police stations, and residents in the communities, for ending 2023 with zero murders.