NPWAJ brings support initiatives to Jamaican police and spouses
Published:Saturday | November 11, 2023 | 12:08 AMKeisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer
Jamaican police officers and their spouses are set to benefit from a number of initiatives, spearheaded by the National Police Wives Association Jamaica (NPWAJ), an affiliate of the National Police Wives Association based in the United States. NPWA is a non-profit charitable organisation dedicated to supporting law enforcement spouses through various outreach programmes, and providing resources to those new to the law-enforcement community in general.
According to Rachel Barrett Dolcine, founder of the National Police Wives Association, the vision of the NPWAJ is to serve our protectors with compassion and respect by building bridges of support. “The NPWAJ has the complete support of NPWA and will share similar goals and programmes with NPWA with the caveat that NPWAJ’ s mission and goals be aligned with the needs of JCF officers, their spouses/significant others and their families,” Barrett-Dolcine said.
The NPWA Jamaica team was on the island to host a ‘Police Weekend’ in Westmoreland from November 2-5, 2023. As part of their visit, they met with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) High Command including Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson. The NPWAJ team shared with the JCF officers, there main focus areas, which include supporting JCF’s mental health initiatives for officers and offering training and education for officers’ wives, significant others, and families.
Barrett-Dolcine has stated that the commissioner had established a welfare branch within the JCF to support officers with their quality of life and various needs during their service. She mentioned that the NPWAJ organisation will work together with this office to cater to the needs of officers’ families.
“There is definitely a need for support for families and there have been discussions among JCF leadership about how the organisation can assist with family support. The launch of NPWA Jamaica provides an answer to that question. We have the full support of the commissioner and the Jamaica Constabulary Force leaderships, as well as, Minister Chang,” she said.
In addition to assisting local precincts with starting peer support groups among officers, there will be the introduction of a police wives and significant others association, providing crisis support to families and host an annual police wives and conference.
Kerry-Ann Burnett-Astree, CEO of Married 2 The Badge Nonprofit and chaplain of the National Police Wives Association Jamaica, said it was encouraging to get support from Minister Chang and Commissioner Anderson.
“We know that police families need support and we are grateful that we have the opportunity to serve in this capacity. The police weekend in Westmoreland was an eye-opening experience for us as we had the opportunity to see and hear about the needs of police families. What we learned from our meeting with Minister Chang and Police Commissioner Anderson, combined with our conversations with officers on the ground, has given us clarity so we can be intentional with the projects we plan to undertake,” Burnett-Astree shared.
Barrett-Dolcine said they will also provide quarterly care packages or small tokens of appreciation to officers, participate in Lasco Chin Foundation’s annual awards ceremony and lead the effort to have an officer memorial built to honour the service of fallen officers.
Barrett-Dolcine continued,“We will also engage in community service by providing opportunities for police families to participate in ongoing community service such as Police Week, fundraising efforts, and coordinating annual community service events.”
Moving ahead, Barrett-Dolcine outlined plans for quarterly activities for Westmoreland JCF officers and their families, such as expanding the Westmoreland NPWA Jamaica group, conducting quarterly peer support group calls, and laying the groundwork for NPWA Jamaica groups in all JCF areas.
“We are not sure which of the remaining areas will be next. We will wait to see which area commanding officer reaches out to us for support. The support of the area and parish leadership is important to the success of each local NPWA Jamaica affiliate, so we will only start in areas where we are invited by the leadership to do so,” Barrett-Dolcine added.
Professor Rosalea Hamilton, CEO of the Lasco Chin Foundation, said that meeting with Commissioner Anderson, Minister Chang, and the leadership of the National Police Wives Association Jamaica marks a significant beginning for building connections and fostering collaborations with supporting organisations, JCF leadership, and community leaders dedicated to the shared goal of creating a better Jamaica for all.
“Lasco Chin Foundation is proud to have been a sponsor for the Westmoreland Police Weekend and we are committed to collaborating with the National Police Wives Association Jamaica in pursuing its mission to support JCF officers and their wives via mental health awareness and education, peer support, morale and recognition, and community service,” Professor Hamilton said.