PCOA Extends Deadline for TOPS Poster Competition to Oct. 24

The Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) has extended the deadline for submissions to the Transforming Our Police Service (TOPS) Poster Competition to October 24.

The poster competition for secondary schools was introduced in 2023 as part of the PCOA TOPS Programme.

Students attending institutions within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Area Five Police Divisions – St. Thomas, St. Andrew North, St. Catherine South, and St. Catherine North – are being encouraged to submit entries under the theme ‘Imaging #AForce4Good: Partnerships for Progress’.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the PCOA, Otarah Byfield Nugent, told JIS News that the deadline was extended to provide the approximately 37 public and private high schools additional time to complete and submit their work.

“We are acutely aware that our competition is competing with other commitments, which include midterm examinations and the completion of school-based assessments, among others.

Therefore, we have extended the deadline to October 24, which includes the National Heroes weekend, so that students can complete their art pieces,” the CEO said.

Students can access detailed information on the competition’s rules by visiting the PCOA’s website at www.pcoa.gov.jm.

“Go to our website to find the entry form as well as upload your posters. You can also learn about the experience of last year’s TOPS Poster Competition winners from Area Two by listening to our latest episodes of Citizen Corner Podcast. If you haven’t started, get started, we want to hear from you,” Mrs. Byfield Nugent encouraged.

She noted that, thanks to the support of sponsors, cash awards, electronics, gift baskets, and goodie bags will be presented to both the winning students and their teachers.

Winners will be announced during a ceremony on November 26, as part of Police Week celebrations.

The event will be livestreamed on the YouTube channels of the JCF and the PCOA.

Now in its third year, the poster competition was established to provide young people with a creative platform to express, through art, their perspectives on the police and the ideal relationship between law enforcement and citizens.