GOVERNMENT IS set to embark on a major recruitment drive for district constables (DCs) this year.
Figures contained in the 2009-2010 Estimates of Expenditure indicate that Government is proposing to spend $2.1 billion on the training of DCs, up from $890 million last year.
Responding to questions from Peter Bunting, the opposition spokesman on national security, about the rationale for the increase, Dwight Nelson, national security minister, said the Government "is on a recruiting programme where we are recruiting over 500 new DCs".
Bunting suggested that with the recruiting of the DCs and the community policing thrust of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), it would be good to "have the DCs remain in the districts rather than to have them assigned to police stations as station guards".
Nelson said that the DCs would be wearing uniforms and some would be deployed to schools.
Meanwhile, $1.8 billion has been set aside for training at the police academy.
Nelson said this would result in the training of 960 regular constables, 300 special constables and 500 district constables.
Bunting had lamented the average cost of training, which works out to more than $1 million per person.
The opposition spokesman suggested that Government consider outsourcing components of the training to universities and community colleges.
"The cost of induction training per policeman is prohibitively high," Bunting said.
The recurrent budget for the police has been increased from $20 billion to $21.8 billion this year. However, spending on the operation of motor vehicles, covering costs like fuel and tyres for police vehicles, has been reduced from $550 million to $458 million.
"To my certain knowledge, if this covers the overall fleet of the JCF, then I know that this has been a challenge in the year now being concluded. With all the other expenditure, if this area does not receive additional resources, the new vehicles will remain parked," opposition backbencher Dr Peter Phillips said.
Nelson said that funds would be reallocated internally for the area.
Shaw, meanwhile, said that the reduction was geared at reducing the use of police vehicles for private purposes.
"In the midst of these difficult times that we face, a part of the challenge and the opportunity that we have here is to cut out waste and to cut out inappropriate use of government vehicles, and one of the areas where this is abused is in the police department," Shaw said.
daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com