St. James Police Showing Love to Students

The St. James police have launched a ‘Day of Love’ initiative, which is targeted at schools in the most vulnerable communities.

Being undertaken by the Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB), the programme is part of an ongoing effort to reduce crime and violence in the parish.

The objective is to expose the children to a kinder and gentler side of policing, encourage them to practice good manners, and give them the assurance that the police are looking out for their best interest.

On Wednesday (June 1), a team from the St. James CSSB presented “love packages” to students of the Glendevon Primary and Infant School.

The packages labelled “St. James CSSB Loves You,” contained crayons, pencils, note books and story books. The students were also engaged in a session where words of love were expressed to them by the police and a counsellor from the Victim Support Unit (VSU) in Montego Bay.

Head of the CSSB in St. James, Inspector Yvonne Whyte Powell, told JIS News that Glendevon was the first of six institutions to benefit under the programme.

Similar activities will be carried put at schools in Mount Salem, Rose Heights, Norwood, Flanker and Salt Spring.

“We are not waiting for them to reach a stage where we can’t reach them,” said Inspector Whyte Powell.

“The CSSB embraces the notion that it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. Bearing this in mind, we intend to make every effort to secure a safe and prosperous future for our children by not only minimising possible harm and risk, but also to empower them,” she further explained.

The ‘Day of Love’ initiative is the extension of a week of activities in May under the theme: ‘The Police and Community working in partnership for the safety and security of our children.’

During the week, the CSSB hosted a book fair and visited prenatal and postnatal clinics where patients were counselled on parenting and healthy lifestyles practices.

The initiative is part of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Community Empowerment and Transformation Project (COMET II) to assist in strengthening local governance structures, and improving safety and security, particularly in volatile and vulnerable communities.

Also partnering with the CSSB are the VSU, Child Development Agency (CDA), and the Peace Management Initiative (PMI).