DR.KEVIN BLAKE RESURRECTS A DEAD POLICE FORCE.

People, tonight I want to talk about something bigger than one Commissioner. I want to talk about what happens when a struggling institution begins to believe in itself again.

I wore the uniform.

I know what it feels like to walk into danger while everyone else runs the other way.

I know what it means to put on that uniform knowing that before the shift is finished, somebody might try to take your life.

And I remember the Jamaica Constabulary Force, where officers became frustrated enough that many started looking for the door.

This is not imagination. Jamaica was losing hundreds of police personnel every year. In 2023, the Commissioner at the time spoke publicly about approximately 400 officers leaving annually through resignation, migration, and retirement. The Police Federation described morale in 2021 as at an extraordinarily low point.

Now look at the conversation surrounding the JCF today.

The Force has reached an establishment of approximately 14,000 members. More than 7,100 recruits have entered since 2018. Young Jamaicans are being recruited into technology, intelligence, forensics, and modern policing. And under Commissioner Dr. Kevin Blake, nearly 2,000 members have been promoted since March 2024, filling positions that had remained vacant.

And listen to this:

After years when officers were leaving Jamaica for opportunities overseas, the Minister of National Security said in June 2026 that some former officers are now coming back to Jamaica to rejoin the Force.

Think about that.

From officers wanting to escape the organization...

to former officers asking to come home.

That is a story worth examining.

And tonight I am going to put the record on the table—not mythology, not politics, not propaganda.

You look at the numbers. You look at the recruitment. You look at the promotions. You look at the technology. You look at the crime reductions. You listen to the officers.

And when this presentation is finished, you decide for yourself:

What happened to the Jamaica Constabulary Force—and what role has Commissioner Dr. Kevin Blake played in the transformation we are witnessing?

My Jamaican people, and those in the diaspora, welcome.

And especially to the young police officers watching this program tonight—men and women who were not even born when some of us were walking those streets with far fewer resources than you have today—I want you to understand something.

A police force does not survive on guns, cars, and uniforms alone.

A police force survives on morale.

It survives on leadership.

It survives on officers believing that when they perform well, somebody notices.

It survives on constables believing their careers have somewhere to go.

It survives on young people entering the organization believing that ten years from now they can be a corporal, sergeant, inspector, superintendent—or perhaps one day Commissioner of Police.

And it survives when the officer on the road believes that the organization standing behind them is worth fighting for.

That is why what has happened inside the Jamaica Constabulary Force over the last several years deserves serious examination.

I REMEMBER A DIFFERENT FORCE

I speak about this subject from the perspective of somebody who wore the uniform.

When I served, we didn't have the technology officers have today.

We didn't have JamaicaEye.

We didn't have today's digital intelligence infrastructure.

We didn't have computers connecting information across the Country the way modern policing does.

Sometimes we didn't even have the vehicles we needed.

Some of us rode bicycles.

But we worked.

We investigated.

We patrolled.

We confronted gunmen.

We buried colleagues.

We watched policemen get shot and then returned to the street.

And when I eventually decided that my time had come to leave the organization, my experience was very different from what officers later confronted.

Today, section 5 of the Constabulary Force Act says a sub-officer or constable who is not serving a fixed enlistment term generally must give six months' written notice before leaving, unless the Commissioner permits an earlier departure. Leaving in contravention of that section can expose the member to criminal penalties.

Think about what six months means to somebody who has already mentally decided:

"I can't do this anymore."

Six months.

Twenty-six weeks.

Approximately 180 days.

The law may have an institutional rationale—Government officials have argued that replacing and training police officers takes time—but police representatives have also objected strongly to the burden it places on members who want to move on.

Another important historical detail matters.

The six-month requirement itself was not invented in 2017. In 2017, Parliament changed the sanctions for violating the requirement, including a dramatic increase in the financial penalty. That distinction matters because when Jamaican Young Police speaks, I want our audience to be able to check what we say and find that the record supports it.

WHEN THE OFFICERS START LOOKING FOR THE EXIT

For years, attrition was a serious concern.

In 2016, the national security minister said more than 400 men and women had left the Force during that year. By 2023, Commissioner Antony Anderson was publicly discussing losing around 400 officers annually, requiring aggressive recruiting to replace those walking through the exit door.

Another contemporary account put the annual loss at approximately 450.

And this wasn't simply about retirement.

Migration was significant.

Resignations mattered.

Officers were finding opportunities elsewhere.

Canada.

America.

Britain.

Private security.

Other occupations.

Some wanted a different life.

And by 2022, the chairman of the Jamaica Police Federation publicly said morale among members had fallen to what he regarded as the lowest point in the organization's history.

That is serious.

Because when a policeman stops believing in the organization, citizens eventually feel it.

The patrol becomes weaker.

Experience disappears.

Detectives leave, taking years of institutional knowledge with them.

A young constable loses the experienced corporal who would have taught him how to survive his first confrontation.

The organization may recruit a replacement—but you cannot recruit twenty years of experience overnight.

AND THEN THERE WAS THE INDECOM DEBATE

Now we have to deal fairly with INDECOM.

INDECOM came into operation in 2010. Parliament created it to provide independent investigation of incidents involving security forces and other state agents where somebody is killed, injured, or allegedly has their rights abused.

That is the legal mandate.

And accountability matters.

No one is above the law.

A commissioner is not above the law.

A politician is not above the law.

A citizen is not above the law.

The rule of law must apply to everybody.

But a long-running debate also concerns how that oversight affects frontline policing psychology.

Police Federation representatives have publicly complained that certain statements and practices associated with INDECOM can frustrate or demoralize officers. Even in 2026, the Federation chair criticized aspects of INDECOM's public posture while also telling police officers plainly that when INDECOM lawfully requests a statement, they should cooperate.

That is the mature conversation Jamaica should have.

Not:

"No accountability."

And not:

"Treat every police officer as though he is automatically a criminal."

Neither extreme produces professional policing.

The officer who abuses his authority must face the law.

But the honest officer who must make a lawful split-second decision with a firearm pointed at him also deserves due process, fairness, and institutional support.

Commissioner Blake himself has spoken about that psychological burden—the fact that police officers sometimes have fractions of a second to make decisions that everybody else gets weeks or months to analyze afterward. At the same time, he has insisted that officers must show emotional maturity and professionalism.

That balance is important.

THE TRANSFORMATION DID NOT BEGIN WITH ONE MAN

And I want to make something else clear.

Institutional transformation did not suddenly begin the morning Kevin Blake became Commissioner.

That would not be historically accurate.

Major General Antony Anderson's tenure from 2018 to 2024 included major expansion in recruiting, technology, training, and organizational transformation. When Anderson handed over, he publicly expressed confidence that Blake would continue the direction the Force had been moving in.

So this is not about erasing the people who came before.

Leadership is a relay race.

Somebody carries the baton and hands it to the next person.

The question is:

What do you do when the baton reaches your hand?

And that brings us to Dr. Kevin Blake.

LOOK AT THE PROMOTIONS

Something significant happened under Blake's leadership.

Promotions.

By September 2026, the JCF reported that 1,926 members had been promoted since Blake took office in March 2024, filling posts that had previously been vacant.

Almost two thousand people.

Think beyond the number.

Imagine being a constable doing work above your rank.

Imagine acting in a position year after year.

More responsibility.

More pressure.

People expecting leadership from you.

But the substantive appointment isn't coming.

Then finally somebody says:

"We are going to fill these vacancies."

That changes something psychologically.

It tells the young constable watching:

"There is somewhere for me to go."

It tells the corporal:

"Sergeant isn't impossible."

It tells the sergeant:

"Inspector isn't a fantasy."

Blake explained that the purpose was bigger than simply rewarding individuals. Filling supervisory positions strengthens command and accountability because someone formally appointed to a role has clearer authority to supervise the people below them.

That is organization building.

NOW LOOK AT RECRUITMENT

Since 2018, more than 7,100 recruits have entered the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

By 2025–26, the Force had reached its establishment of roughly 14,000 officers, something governments and commissioners had been pursuing for years.

And look at the recruiting message today.

The JCF isn't simply telling young people:

"Come carry a gun."

It is selling policing as a profession.

Technology.

Cyber capabilities.

Forensics.

Intelligence.

Data.

Investigations.

Management.

Leadership.

Advanced education.

Dr. Blake himself has a PhD in Sustainable Development, along with graduate training in computer-based management information systems and undergraduate training in computer science and mathematics.

That background matters when you consider the direction modern policing is moving.

The criminal today uses technology.

Police officers therefore cannot be technologically illiterate.

Criminal networks use encrypted communications, digital money trails, cameras, vehicles, telecommunications, and international connections.

Modern policing must respond with data analysis, intelligence integration, digital evidence, communication systems, and trained people who understand them.

At a JCF Mensa lecture, Blake spoke specifically about recruiting better-educated Jamaicans and integrating technology into policing. The Force has also highlighted accreditation of the National Police College and ISO 9001 quality-management standards.

That is a very different image of policing from the one many Jamaican youngsters grew up seeing.

AND SOMETHING ELSE IS HAPPENING

In June 2026, National Security Minister Horace Chang made a striking claim.

He said the JCF once experienced a very high resignation rate, but some officers who had left were now returning, including people who had migrated overseas.

Now, I still want to see comprehensive, independently published annual retention figures before declaring the attrition problem solved.

That's how Jamaican Young Police should operate.

Give me the numbers.

Give me the documentation.

Give me the evidence.

But even reports of former officers returning are significant because years ago the conversation was almost entirely:

"How do I get out?"

Now there are cases of people asking:

"How do I get back in?"

That deserves attention.

AND THEN WE COME TO RESULTS ON THE STREET

Leadership ultimately has to produce results for the Jamaican citizen.

In 2025, Jamaica recorded 673 murders, approximately a 41 percent reduction from the previous year and the Country's lowest annual murder total in 31 years.

That is not a small statistical movement.

Hundreds of Jamaicans who statistically might otherwise have appeared in homicide numbers did not.

And the downward trend continued into 2026.

The JCF reported only 37 murders during August 2026, describing it as one of Jamaica's lowest monthly murder totals in more than three decades.

But let us be responsible here too.

No commissioner reduces murders alone.

Police officers do it.

Detectives do it.

Intelligence officers do it.

Patrol officers do it.

The Jamaica Defense Force contributes.

Prosecutors contribute.

Communities contribute.

Technology contributes.

Government investment contributes.

Changes in gang dynamics contribute.

Legislation can contribute.

And sometimes crime statistics move for reasons researchers will keep analyzing years later.

So we should never build a cult around one man.

But we shouldn't pretend leadership has nothing to do with institutional performance.

Leadership sets priorities.

Leadership promotes people.

Leadership decides whether technology sits unused in a room or becomes part of operations.

Leadership decides whether intelligence is shared.

Leadership decides whether officers believe management will support lawful police action.

And leadership decides what standards are tolerated.

BLAKE HIMSELF SAYS THE NUMBERS AREN'T ENOUGH

And something Commissioner Blake said recently deserves attention.

He warned his own organization that crime reduction alone can't measure transformation.

Think about that.

The murders are falling.

The Force is getting international-standard systems.

Thousands have been promoted.

Recruitment has expanded.

And instead of saying:

"Mission accomplished,"

the Commissioner is publicly telling his people that how officers treat citizens, exercise authority, make decisions, and account for their actions also determines whether transformation is real.

He has also publicly acknowledged that misconduct, indiscipline, and failures of professional standards remain problems inside the Force.

I respect the importance of that acknowledgment.

Because no institution becomes stronger by pretending everything inside it is perfect.

The JCF is not perfect.

It has never been perfect.

The FBI isn't perfect.

Scotland Yard isn't perfect.

The New York Police Department isn't perfect.

Every institution made up of human beings will have people who fail its standards.

The question is whether the institution dares to confront those failures.

THINK ABOUT THE YOUNG CONSTABLE

Imagine you are 20 years old.

You are considering your future.

Your parents tell you:

"Don't join police. Too dangerous."

Your friends are telling you:

"Go foreign."

Then you look at today's JCF.

You see technology.

You see degree holders.

You see opportunities in intelligence.

You see digital investigations.

You see forensics.

You see promotions taking place.

You see training.

You see an organization publicly marketing itself as a place where professional young Jamaicans can build careers.

The JCF recruiting portal today literally tells applicants:

"Your Future. Your Force. Your Jamaica." 

That tells us something about how the institution now sees itself.

Not simply employment.

Career.

Not simply survival.

Development.

Not simply carrying a firearm.

Professional expertise.

THIS IS WHY LEADERSHIP MATTERS

And this is where my own experience becomes emotional.

Because sometimes I ask myself:

What would my career have looked like if the opportunities, technology, and professional development available today had existed when I was a young detective?

Where would some of the men I served beside have gone in the organization?

How many brilliant policemen did Jamaica lose because they became frustrated?

How many investigators emigrated?

How many people with twenty years of knowledge walked away?

How many young officers looked upward and couldn't see a future?

Those questions matter.

Because the greatest loss from a demoralized police force isn't simply somebody handing in a uniform.

It is institutional memory walking through the gate.

SO WHAT SHOULD HISTORY SAY?

History should be careful.

History should distinguish between what began before Blake, what continued under Blake, and what specifically accelerated during his tenure.

It should recognize the groundwork laid under earlier commissioners.

It should examine Government investment.

It should examine technology.

It should examine recruitment.

It should examine salaries and conditions.

It should examine promotion reform.

It should examine retention.

It should examine officer welfare.

It should examine accountability.

And then history can determine where each Commissioner belongs.

That judgment does not need to be manufactured today.

The evidence itself is powerful enough.

AND THAT BRINGS ME TO THE FINAL QUESTION

Commissioner Blake recently challenged members of his organization with a profound question:

When you eventually leave the Force, will it be better because you were there? 

That question doesn't belong only to Kevin Blake.

Every Commissioner should answer it.

Every deputy commissioner should answer it.

Every superintendent.

Every inspector.

Every sergeant.

Every corporal.

Every constable.

And every one of us who once wore that uniform.

When you walk away...

What did you leave behind?

Did you strengthen the institution?

Did you train somebody?

Did you save somebody?

Did you protect somebody?

Did you leave the uniform with more honor than you found it?

That is legacy.

And when Dr. Kevin Blake's tenure eventually ends, the Jamaican people will have the evidence with which to answer that question about him as well.

But the evidence available today already documents something important:

A Force that for years struggled with serious attrition has reached approximately 14,000 members.

A Force that once saw hundreds depart annually now has public reports of former members returning.

A Force that had large numbers of vacant supervisory positions has promoted nearly 2,000 members under Blake.

A Force historically associated primarily with traditional policing is increasingly presenting careers in technology, intelligence, forensic science, and advanced professional policing.

And Jamaica has simultaneously experienced historic reductions in homicide.

So tonight I will not tell you what conclusion you must reach about Commissioner Kevin Blake.

I will tell you to examine the record.

Look at where the Force was.

Look at where it is.

Look at recruitment.

Look at retention.

Look at promotions.

Look at technology.

Look at professionalism.

Look at accountability.

Look at crime.

And then ask yourself:

Is the Jamaica Constabulary Force becoming an organization that a young Jamaican can once again look at and say, "I can build my future there?"

Because if the answer to that question continues moving in a positive direction, that may ultimately be one of the most important measures of this era of leadership.

And to every honest police officer watching Jamaican Young Police tonight:

Hold your head up.

Serve lawfully.

Serve professionally.

Respect the Jamaican people.

Never confuse strength with abuse.

Never confuse accountability with weakness.

And remember something that those of us who wore that uniform before you already know:

That badge is bigger than any commissioner.

It is bigger than any Government.

It is bigger than any political party.

It belongs to Jamaica.

Serve.

Protect.

Reassure.

And leave the Force better than you found it.

Substance Over Popularity.

Informer fi live.

Team Jamaica.

And as always—

Give me the book and not the gun.