Dr Orville Taylor, Gleaner columnist and guest speaker, greets graduate Tyrone Smythe of Manchester and other graduates at the passing-out ceremony for participants in the Local Government Municipal Police Training Course for the third cohort, at the Police Training Centre, Twickenham Park, last Friday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine:

Sociologist and senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies Dr Orville Taylor told a graduating class at the Jamaica Police Academy that they need to expose good principles and not continue as slave for the plantocracy that still exists in Jamaica.

Taylor told the graduates, who are municipal police personnel, that while the slave masters have changed their colour, the people who run organisations still portray the culture.

Change perception

He told them that perception needs to change and they need to be impartial in their duties when they go out on the streets to enforce the municipal laws.

According to Dr Taylor, al-though the police force was formed in 1865 following a rebellion, it was not until the late 1960s that black persons could go beyond the rank of inspector.

He implored them to spark the change, as each person they prosecute on the road must be thought of as they would see themselves.

Taylor went on to implore the graduating class to educate themselves.

After the ceremony, Calvert Thomas from the Department of Local Government told The Gleaner that to date, 84 municipal police have been trained and from the results and requests made by the areas where they work, great differences have been made to the revenue of the council.

The latest batch will be stationed at the St Catherine, Manchester and St Elizabeth parish councils.

Officers from the respective councils turned out to give their support to the initiative.