Evaluating the Perceptions of Professional Service Delivery of the Jamaica Constabulary Force from the Perspective of the New Accelerated Promotion Programme: A Qualitative Case Study

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176

Foreign Countries; Acceleration (Education); Higher Education; Leadership; Professionalism; Creativity; Innovation; Educational Policy; Standards; Stakeholders

979-83-8261-296-6

This qualitative Case Study sought to evaluate the perceptions of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's professional service delivery from the New Accelerated Promotions Program perspective. Institutional Theory, Transformational Leadership Theory, and Social Learning Theory were used as the primary lens for this study. JCF institutional documents on the New Accelerated Promotions Programme served as the secondary framework to the three main theories used to complete this research. Three research questions guided this Case Study: 1). How does higher education influence the perceptions of members of the JCF on Leadership and professionalism? 2). How does the New Accelerated Promotion Programme reinforce creativity and innovativeness among members? 3). How does leadership improve the performance, image, and practice of members of the JCF? The selection of participants used in this study consisted of five sub-officers within the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Through three coding phases: derived from the proposal development and literature on higher education and professionalizing policing services, color coding key concepts, and manual and NVivo Pro coding. Using selected codes from phase two, 27 themes were revealed. Five core categories were developed by merging similar themes, and the remaining 22 themes were merged within each category. The research findings showed that the New Accelerated Promotions Program was not influencing any change in perceptions of members of the JCF on leadership and professionalism, but rather that the perceived changes were formed as the JCF is placing greater emphasis on policy, improving standards through the ISO 9001 and stakeholders engagement. The members perceived the value of education to be a value to the JCF as it provided the members with respect, especially from other professionals. The study also found that there is a perception amongst members of the JCF that creativity is not a feature of policing as a result of laws, rules, policy guidelines, and standard operating procedures. It was, however, perceived that through community-based policing, officers can include creative aspects in how they interact with community members and the types of programs they implement. The research found that the NAPP graduates, upon entry into the officer corps, adapt and become a part of cliques and could be more effective in improving the performance, image, and practice of members of the JCF. The perception, however, is that there has been an improvement in these areas. However, this is perceived as a result of the JCF engaging community members through its social media pages that give real-time information on the operations of the JCF. Additionally, by adopting the slogan "#aforceforgood" and sharing information with its public, the JCF is seen as more open to transformation and improving its image and performance. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As Provided

2024

ED652841