The Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) is inviting young creatives from institutions across the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Area Five to showcase their talent in the 2025 Transforming Our Police Service (TOPS) Secondary Schools Poster Competition.
Launched in 2023, the initiative has quickly become a signature feature of the TOPS Programme, offering students a platform to artistically explore and express their perspectives on police-citizen relationships.
This year’s theme, ‘Imaging #AForce4Good: Partnerships for Progress’, invites students to reflect on the meaning of partnership and explore how collaboration between citizens and the police can contribute to building safer, stronger communities.
The competition is now open to students in Grades seven to 13 who are enrolled in secondary schools within Area Five, which includes the Divisions of St. Catherine South, St. Catherine North, St. Thomas, and St. Andrew North. The full list of eligible institutions is available on the PCOA website, www.pcoa.gov.jm.
Each school may submit up to three entries, and students are encouraged to register and upload their posters online via the website. The submission deadline is Friday, October 17.
Winners will be announced during the PCOA’s awards ceremony on Wednesday, November 26. Exciting prizes, including cash awards, gadgets, goodie bags, and gift baskets, await the top-three students and their teachers.
PCOA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Otarah Byfield Nugent, outlined details of the 2025 competition and the focus on Police Area Five, during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’.
“Area Five is a little bit unique because, although we are looking at all the schools in St. Catherine —approximately 23—[and] all the schools in St. Thomas, [including] about six registered secondary schools, not all schools located in St. Andrew fall under the St. Andrew North Division,” she shared, noting that that Division includes only nine eligible institutions.
Mrs. Byfield Nugent indicated that the poster competition provides a powerful platform for young voices to be heard.
“We are always used to adults being a part of the dialogue and sharing their opinions about what citizen-policing relationships should look like. But if we want to shape the future, we must involve our students. This competition shows us that young people have a vision and a voice, and their perspectives are important in charting the way forward,” she stated.
Additionally, the CEO said past entries have revealed extraordinary creativity and insight.
The rewards notably extend well beyond the awards ceremony. Winning posters are featured on PCOA calendars distributed to key stakeholders and are also adapted into early childhood colouring books—fostering positive police-citizen relationships while supporting children’s learning, creativity, and social development.
Mrs. Byfield Nugent, in emphasising the long-term value of the initiative, pointed out that “the students are able to see their posters being displayed.”
“Apart from that, it gives just a positive energy and a positive image about citizen and police relationships. The colouring book is a tool that allows for students to learn about colours, to learn about numbers, to develop their listening skills and their fine motor skills,” she stated.
Students are also encouraged to tune in to the PCOA’s ‘On the Corner’ podcast, which features interviews with last year’s Area Two winners and runners-up sharing insights into their creative process, competition experience, and the inspiration behind their award-winning posters—offering valuable guidance and encouragement to this year’s cohort.
Meanwhile, the Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) is encouraging schools and students across Police Area Five to seize this opportunity to engage, express, and inspire through the 2025 Secondary Schools Poster Competition.
“We believe our young people are ready to lead the conversation about the future of policing and community relations. Through art, they are helping us in imaging partnerships for progress,” Mrs. Byfield Nugent emphasised.
For full competition guidelines, registration details, and the list of eligible schools, students and teachers are encouraged to visit the Police Civilian Oversight Authority’s official website at www.pcoa.gov.jm.