Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has charged new Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) constables to treat citizens with dignity and respect as they carry out their duties in maintaining law and order and protecting lives and property.

He noted that every Jamaican, rich or poor, powerful or vulnerable, deserves to be treated with dignity.

“As your prime minister, I demand that every one of you here, who will wear the uniform and ascribe unto yourself the authority of the State as an officer of the law, that you must treat every Jamaican with dignity and respect for their rights.

“A modern police force embodies restraint where necessary, empathy where appropriate, firmness when essential, and fairness at all times. You must protect life, property, and liberty, and you must do so with equal vigilance for all. A Jamaica that is safe but unjust is not the Jamaica we seek,” Dr Holness said.

He was addressing the passing out parade of batches 161 and 162 of the JCF at the National Police College of Jamaica (NPCJ) in Twickenham Park, St Catherine, on Wednesday.

In congratulating the newly minted policemen and policewomen, Dr Holness said they represent the hope for a future where Jamaica’s children can grow up free from fear.

“Today is a beginning, not an end. The oath you take will follow you into every station, every patrol, every investigation, and every community action. You have joined a vocation, a calling to protect the innocent, uphold the law, resist wrongdoing, and advance justice.

“The measure of your career will not be the rank you attain, but the lives you protect, the conflicts you defuse, the trust you build, and the communities that thrive because you stood your ground,” he said.

Dr Holness told the constables that they represent a force moving towards excellence.  

“As you marched past today, I saw the pride in your faces….You represent a country determined to become safer, stronger, and more resilient, and you represent the hope for the future where Jamaica’s children can grow up free from fear,” he said.