The Police Civilian Oversight Authority (PCOA) continues to strengthen its international presence with its historic participation in a high-level panel discussion at the upcoming Canadian Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (CACOLE) annual conference.
The event, to take place from June 2 to 4 in New Brunswick, Canada, will bring together oversight practitioners from across the globe to explore the theme ‘Reimagining Police Oversight – Legislative Reform, Modernisation and Accountability in the 21st Century’.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PCOA, Otarah Byfield Nugent, will represent the Authority as a panellist, offering insights into Jamaica’s unique civilian oversight experience and the agency’s role in legislative reform, accountability initiatives, and modernisation efforts within the island’s law-enforcement framework.
“This is a significant milestone for the PCOA. It not only reflects our growing international footprint but also underscores the importance of including Caribbean perspectives in global oversight conversations. The opportunity to present on this platform speaks to the respect and recognition the PCOA is building globally, despite being a relatively small agency with only 16 staff members,” she said.
CACOLE, the Canadian counterpart to the US-based National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), serves as a forum for practitioners to exchange best practices and strategies in civilian law-enforcement oversight.
The PCOA began participating in CACOLE two years ago, recognising the close alignment between Jamaica’s oversight framework and the Canadian model, in terms of legislation and policy.
This year’s invitation is particularly significant, as the PCOA becomes the first external oversight body to be invited to present on a panel at the CACOLE seminar.
The Authority will share perspectives on the drivers of reform in Jamaica, the challenges faced in achieving greater accountability in policing, and the innovative programmes it has introduced to meet these challenges.
“We’re going to present on what are some of the drivers of reform, we’re going to look at some of the challenges that we face and what are some of the programmes we have instituted to address those challenges,” Mrs. Byfield Nugent indicated.
She added that even with the cultural differences in both jurisdictions, there are similarities between the two.
“Part of the discussion will look at what are some of the successful reforms or initiatives that we have instituted. The thing about civil oversight of law enforcement, the challenges that we experience tend to be very similar… which are resistance to external oversight, the whole resources, legislative constraints,” she said.
Three members of the PCOA will attend the seminar. Mrs. Byfield Nugent will be the only non-Canadian on the panel discussion.
The PCOA’s growing visibility follows a number of initiatives, including its inaugural Oliver Clarke Memorial Lecture, which has drawn participation from Caribbean counterparts and further cemented the Authority’s role as a thought leader in the space of civilian law-enforcement oversight.
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