Citizens are encouraged to use the Police Civilian Oversight Authority’s (PCOA) Inspection Scorecard to monitor the quality of services provided by their local police station.
The scorecard may be accessed at PCOA’s website at www.pcoa.gov.jm.
Speaking at a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank, Chief Executive Officer of the PCOA, Otarah Byfield Nugent, explained that the scorecard is an abbreviated version of the divisional inspections carried out by the PCOA.
“Every JCF division consists of a number of stations. The PCOA team will go out and do inspections of all those stations and then compile a report,” she pointed out.
“You are able to see these scorecards with the different stations and how they are performing in terms of things like the records management, station administration, how well your officers are managing the stations and looking at the plans of the police, and whether or not they’re meeting their targets that they have set,” she pointed out.
Mrs. Byfield Nugent said the scorecard empowers citizens with vital insights about the performance of their stations so that they can ask questions when they observe any gaps in service delivery.
She noted that more people are visiting the PCOA website, reflecting increased citizen engagement in policing.
“There’s increased traffic as it relates to things that people might experience. So, I know people are using the website, I know people are looking out; I know people are coming in and giving us information, which is very important,” she pointed out.
PCOA is encouraging the public to make use of the scorecard to remain informed about the performance of their local police stations, as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen accountability, improve service delivery, and build trust between citizens and the police.
PCOA was established by Parliament in 2005 under the PCOA Act.
It is an agency of the Ministry of National Security, mandated to provide monitoring, inspecting and auditing of the implementation of policies, standards and procedures of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.