... uniform and all

BY INGRID BROWN Senior staff reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com 
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

WHEN 11-year-old Devonio James wrote to Police Commissioner Owen Ellington commending him on his good work and giving his views on crime in Spanish Town where he attends school, his only wish was that the letter would at least make it to the police chief's office.

To Devonio's surprise, Commissioner Ellington not only read his letter, he extended an invitation to the youngster to be police commissioner for a day.

"I felt like a king when I got back a letter from the commissioner," Devonio said proudly as he reported for duty yesterday.

And if he felt like a king on receiving the letter, he felt just like a police chief as he exchanged his McCauley Primary School uniform for an almost perfect replica of the commissioner's uniform when he showed up at Ellington's Old Hope Road office in Kingston at 8:00 am sharp to take on the day's challenge.

Accompanied by his doting mother Deborah Bennett-James and his teacher Errol Campbell, Devonio was met by Commissioner Ellington and immediately 'sworn in' by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) chaplain, Assistant Commissioner Gary Welsh.

"I, Devonio James, truly declare and affirm that I am here today to replace the present commissioner of police," he said. And with those words he began the day's tasks which included a tour of the facility, a briefing, a visit with Commissioner Ellington to the Jamaica Employers' Federation to sign a memorandum of understanding, directing traffic with Senior Superintendent Radcliffe Lewis, a visit to the Jamaica Defence Force headquarters at Up Park Camp and the police Area Four and Five headquarters to view their operations.

"Today all my hopes and dreams came through as I got to meet the commissioner, which I wanted to do for such a long time," Devonio told the Observer at the end of the day.

"It made me feel so elated," he said passionately.

It was the moment he had been mentally preparing for since deciding that the dream job for him will be that of police commissioner.

"My mother wants me to be a doctor and so I will go to university and do that because that is what she wants, but I will only do that until I can come back into the police force," Devonio said.

 Already, he is on a clear academic path to achieving this dream, having topped the list of high performers at his school in this year's Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) to gain a place at his school of first choice - St Jago High.

And although Ellington warned him that being a police commissioner is a tough job, at the end of the day Devonio was even more adamant that someday his name will be added to the long list of police commissioners who have served Jamaica.

And to show just how prepared he was for the job, the senior deputy head boy, came armed with recommendations and strategies for fighting crime.

When asked what would be his response to the police's demands for more vehicles, the soft-spoken, polite youngster responded: "I will tell them that would have to be when we get the new budget."

Not only did he learn a lot during the day, but Devonio said he intends to begin a public education campaign in his school to sensitise children about the inconvenience of making prank calls to 119, the police emergency number.

With the police grappling to deal with prank calls, which account for some 60 per cent of the near 20,000 calls received per day, Devonio had a few suggestions of his own on how to tackle this problem.

He said that like the boy who cried wolf in the Aesop fable, the pranksters would get three chances, and if they persist, their numbers would be blocked. But when informed by Commissioner Ellington that the police cannot deny access to anyone, Devonio said the pranksters should get a reality check on how stressful it is for the police to deal with prank calls at the detriment of real emergencies.

He also had suggestions on how to deal with students caught up in violence, suggesting that a special school be built for them where they can be under a stricter regime.

"When the children give trouble in school, the school kick them out and while some parents get them back into school others don't and that creates a problem," he told the commissioner.

Devonio, who lives in Old Harbour, also believes that curfews should be more sustained and not just for short periods of time, if they are to be effective. He also expressed his desire to see a police post established in the troubled March Pen and Tawes Pen communities in Spanish Town.

Commissioner Ellington, who admitted to reading and at times responding to letters sent to him by citizens, said he was very impressed with Devonio's well-scripted letter which reflected a deep passion for the work of the police.

"I want him to stick to his dream because the Force deserves talent and commitment of bright kids as him," said Ellington.

According to the commissioner, the JCF has been attracting a lot of bright young people who are fresh out of high school and university.

Devonio's mother said she first got a replica of the commissioner's uniform made for him to wear to Career Day at school and that was what influenced his decision to write to the commissioner.

"On Career Day I was the commissioner and I gave command to my fellow classmates who were junior police officers and they said I did a good job," Devonio quipped.

He said that while his father was not very optimistic that the letter would get to the commissioner's desk, the boy's mother said she encouraged him to send it anyway.

Her only contribution to the letter was to review it, said Bennett-James.

Devonio's teacher Errol Campbell hailed him as a meticulous, outstanding leader and a student who goes after whatever he sets his mind to.

Therefore, he was not overly surprised when Devonio showed him the letter two months ago which he said he would be sending to the commissioner.

Since then, he has been encouraging the other children in his class to write to public officials to air their views and concerns.

Source: Jamaica Observer