Youth Encouraged to Join National Police Youth Club

Youth are being encouraged to join the National Police Youth Club to benefit from its upcoming Summer Camp, which will provide skill-certification opportunities in partnership with the HEART/NSTA Trust.

Level-two skills training will be offered for various areas, including housekeeping, painting, electrical wiring and connection, motor vehicle repairs, tiling and baking.

The camp will be held for one week from July 16 to 22 at Petersfield High School in Westmoreland.

National Coordinator for the Club in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Sergeant Ricardo McCalpin, told JIS News in a recent interview that interested participants must be a member of the Club in order to join the Camp activities.

“They can go to any police station and request to be a member, and if they are below the age of 18, they will have to get parental consent. The youth must also attend at least three meetings to be a member,” he said.

Meetings are held weekly at selected police stations, community centres or churches and usually focus on laws, roles and responsibilities, devotionals, sports and entertainment.

Sergeant McCalpin said many youth who participate in the Camp reap academic and career success.

“We have two persons who were [previous] campers and they are returning this year as police officers. We have those who got jobs overseas using the certification from HEART. So, we have a lot of success stories… [even] those who went to university [to] study medicine, law and different courses,” he told JIS News.

The Police Youth Club aims to bridge the gap between the police and the youth and work together to create a safer community and country at large.

Its strategic objectives include bolstering community outreach and increasing capacity development and involvement of youth in community development.

Other upcoming activities include the Club’s National Sports Day on June 24 at the Noranda Bauxite Sports Complex in St. Ann.

Club members from the five Police Areas will compete and be awarded medals, cash incentives and trophies.