Western Bureau:

Jailed fake cop, 23-year-old Courtney Grayson, may have created a favourable impression with at least one member of the public with whom he interfaced before he was exposed and arrested for his fraudulent conduct in St James.

"I found him to be quite courteous and well-mannered," said a Mount Salem taxi operator who had his documents checked by Grayson during a recent police spot check.

"Unlike some of his colleagues, he displayed excellent interpersonal skills and was not as impatient as some."

Unassuming young man

In the volatile Hendon, Norwood, area in Montego Bay, where Grayson lived with his girlfriend, he had also earned the respect of some members of the community who said he was a quiet, unassuming young man who was always smartly dressed.

"Bwoy, me cyaah believe him is not a real policeman," a young man from the area told The Gleaner yesterday. "Him always look real neat and businesslike in his blue denim uniform, his bulletproof vest and his keep-and-care (gun)."

According to the young man, the affable Grayson also enjoyed a lot of respect from the young men in the community who would tone down whatever illicit activities they were involved in whenever he was around.

"He got a lot of respect around here as a policeman who live in the ghetto," the young man continued. "That officer never violate no youth around here, so we also give him due respect whenever we see him around."

While members of the public are seemingly at ease talking about Grayson, including the many times he was seen on legitimate police operations with an M-16 slung over his shoulder, his 'colleagues', including some with whom he worked, have been reluctant to speak about him.

Major indictment on force

However, a former senior cop, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described Grayson's act of deception as a major indictment on the force since so many areas of checks and balances were violated.

"What happened is a universal blunder from top to bottom," the former cop said. "The system has checks and balances at almost every turn, so I still can't believe that such a thing could have happened and continued for six months … that is absolutely disgraceful and heads should roll."

'Couldn't fool me'

The former policeman argued that Grayson could not have "come to my police station and fool me".

"All policemen moving into a new division must be accompanied by his file, which carries all information about him, including pertinent information about his areas of speciality, such as whether or not he is a force driver or whether or not he is a detective and other such information," he said.

While not downplaying the harm Grayson has done to the image of the police, Assistant Commissioner of Police Denver Frater said he was happy the system finally got it right and exposed the fraud.

"We are happy he is off the street," said Frater. "Investigations will be done to find out exactly what happened and I am sure measures will be instituted to prevent something like this from happening again."

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com