KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) has officially launched its Area 4 sensitization tour for the annual Transforming Our Police Service (TOPS) Competition. The tour kicked off on June 24 with a visit to the Kingston Western Division headquarters at the Denham Town Police Station.
Over the next 14 days, the PCOA team will visit the remaining four divisions that comprise Area 4: St. Andrew Central, St. Andrew South, Kingston Central, and Kingston Eastern.
The sensitization tour represents a major strategic shift for the competition. During the competition’s first cycle (2019–2023), no formal tour was conducted, which left many officers unaware of the program.
“Our sensitization has become a critical component in preparing the various divisions for the competition,” said Andrew Beaumont, Senior Director of Inspection and Monitoring. “We previously found that many police personnel were oblivious to the competition and its objectives. By 2023, we started educating personnel in the respective divisions in Area 1 so as to get them excited, apprise them of changes, and highlight available prizes.”
This year, a new award will be introduced – Top Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB), while there will be no Top Marine Post Award given that there is only one location in Area 4.
Mr. Beaumont noted that the sessions also serve to brief officers on specific competition focus areas and the People’s Choice Award, which encourages police personnel to actively engage their local communities for votes. Additionally, divisions are being urged to promote the TOPS Poster Competition among secondary schools within their jurisdictions.
To foster camaraderie, each sensitization session concludes with an interactive quiz. The winners for the Kingston Western kickoff session were Sergeant Latoya Haye, Inspector Jason Rodriguez, and Inspector Jenelle Stewart.
The TOPS Competition was last hosted in Area 4 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In that competition Kingston Eastern Division took home honors for Top Division and Top Customer Service Division, with its Bull Bay Station named Area 4 Top Station. Denham Town Station copped titles for both Top Station in the Kingston Western Division and Top Prisoners in Custody Station.
With the competition pushing to become bigger and better each year, the PCOA expects fierce but friendly rivalry across Area 4 in 2026. Inspections for the competition is set to commence in September.