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Can you imagine working in an institution for close to 40 years and never rising above your entry-level position?Well, that has been the case for quite a few members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the cold frustrating fact sheds light on the institution's poor promotions policy. Members go for decades without promotion and this is being cited as one of the contributing factors to the high level of attrition and lack of lure to prospective members.Chairman of the Jamaica Police Federation Corporal Rohan James confirmed that the force's promotions policy is in dire need of reform."In recent times we have had persons retiring with 38 years' service at the rank of constable. There is dire need for the subjectiveness of the promotional policy to be reviewed and the overall objective should be for persons to be elevated on the basis of competence. It is unacceptable that a person serves an organisation for nearly four decades and is never promoted. I believe that persons should be promoted based on the skillset they possess so they can work in the best interest of the organisation," he said.A senior member of the police high command, who refused to be named, said a review of the promotions policy is actively being pursued. "There is need for transformation. We have seen in recent times that quite a number of persons have been promoted. Personally, I like what is being proposed but it requires more broad-based organisation and supervision. The measure is a nice one, but unfortunately it will leave some people along the line because of the establishment. Promotion should be used to enhance the efficient functionality of the organisation. It may be time to discuss other means of reward other than economic gains."The organisational structure of the JCF predisposes it to bottlenecks. Only a specified number of officers may serve in a particular rank at any given time. This is one of the factors that leads to persons being denied or having their promotions delayed.James said: "Having regard to the bottleneck situation in the force, it also touches on concerns of management's refusal to do what is necessary to ensure members' competence and skillsets and their capacity to respond to supervision. It is also compounded by the fact that the process of elevation is normally prejudiced by those who manage."The apparent lack of transparency impacts morale greatly. It cuts deep and members are gravely affected. Very often it leads to resignation or members choosing not to re-enlist. This affects the organisation's ability to get to the historic figure that we should. There is a high attrition rate."The JCF has an attrition rate of upwards of 500 members per year. An additional 1,250 members are expected to join the force at the end of their training next month.Currently, the JCF staff complement is short by between 6,000 and 6,500 personnel, and James believes that the political directorate should address the issue of attrition as a priority. "National security is high priority and I am hoping that the minister will see this as one of the causes he must champion. The force cannot be starved of resources and must be given latitude to manage national security."With an archaic Constabulary Force Act it requires the legislators to act speedily to place the issue of professionalism and work conduct at the forefront so that the force can serve its full potential. We are currently serving at a detriment. The issue of persons with the skillsets and competencies moving to other jurisdictions means that the force is operating way below optimal levels in some areas, including our most technical areas," said James.James added that the issues plaguing the 157-year-old year old institution will not be resolved until important matters like the promotions policy are properly addressed."I believe that if you are a squaddie with the commissioner, you should be compensated equitably, based on the years of service because experience is what counts in the field of law enforcement."He said the federation has been making the case to the police high command and the Police Services Commission for a full review.How are police personnel selected for promotion? James said it is often based on cronyism. "Sometimes it redounds to who knows who. It is more subjective than objective. In most cases it is done on merit but sometimes it is on merit with favours. I have had direct complaints of sexual harassment in the force but some members choose not to go the route of the federation in addressing their concerns."To be considered for promotion an officer has to be recommended by a supervising officer and may have to sit a test and obtain a performance management appraisal at a particular level. They may also be subjected to ethical screening and polygraph tests.Tasha Brown (name changed), a serving officer at the rank of sergeant, said that she has been waiting for nine years for a promotion, with no luck. "I have faced sexual harassment at all levels of my career and unfortunately some of those who were shunned are now the people in positions to determine if you are promoted or not. I have passed numerous exams, polygraphs and integrity inquiries and still no movement so I know that something isn't right. This can't be how the system is supposed to operate and I have thought about leaving many times. It is very frustrating and demoralising. It must be a turn off for those who may be considering joining," she said.James said the JCF has the unkind and unethical practice of waiting until a person has prepared to be elevated before allegations or the presumption of adverse intelligence is brought to the fore and the member has to languish and suffer while investigations take place. "We must demolish that which we believe is a travesty of justice. The custom of being presumed guilty until proven innocent must be dismantled swiftly," James said.A serving inspector, who also declined to be named, said it was unfortunate that members are unable to rise up the ranks on merit but also laid the blame squarely at the feet of some officers whom he said lacked ambition. "Some people will tell you that for them it is about the bank and not the rank. In those circumstances, you will have people serving for decades without promotion and sadly, this is one of the issues that give rise to the ubiquitous levels of corruption in the force."The police federation is currently locked in wage and fringe benefits negotiations with the Government. The federation represents rank and file members from the rank of constable up to inspector. James said the relatively low salaries also act as a dissuading factor to potential recruits. A constable in training gets $70,000 per month, and salaries push up the ranks through corporal and sergeant to an inspector who earns between $163,000 and $173,000 per month.Where the gap becomes glaring is between the rank of inspector and deputy superintendent.James said: "The gap between inspector and deputy superintendent is very significant...it is very wide. We raised a red flag to the Ministry of Finance to indicate that this ought not to happen. A full reclassification of the salary scales is needed. We are hoping for a review of the constabulary compensation scheme. Since the public sector compensation review is scheduled for April 1, we hope that the minister of finance and his technocrats will remedy the breach," James stated.The Government has offered the police a four per cent increase in salary which James said the rank and file members are considering. "They are at four per cent but they have budged in other areas. It is ultimately up to the members to decide to accept the offer or not."Speaking in Parliament in January, Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang promised that members of the Force will be accorded the salaries they deserve as professionals, and that the Government will fix the ad hoc manner in which they have been compensated over the years."Government intends to, and it will be demonstrated when the minister of finance speaks [in the budget debate], treat the police in the professional manner in which they should be treated. The dispute [over pay] has emerged because successive governments have treated the police force with almost a level of disrespect in how they treat their salary - giving small bits and pieces of remuneration for some hours here, for some allowance there, and [to] different sections of the police force," Chang told the House of Representatives. He did not comment directly on the issue of back pay, which is now the subject of a court case against the Government.James is a 27-year veteran of the force and has only attained the rank of corporal. He philosophises that he is not a victim of the force's scrappy promotional policy but feels that he has been placed in a position to help others who see themselves as victims.His tenure ends in May and is looking forward to serving another term if the members find him fit at the joint central conference that month.