Police go high-tech to track service vehicles

The Jamaica Constabulary Force is now turning to the same kind of alert-based technology used to track people to keep tabs on something just as critical to crime fighting -- its own fleet of vehicles.

At the centre of this shift is an 'amber system' that monitors when police units are due for servicing, helping to tighten accountability and improve response times across divisions.

Head of the Constabulary Communications Network, Senior Superintendent Dahlia Garrick. explained that fleet maintenance has always been structured, but is now being strengthened through tech integration.

"We have a transport, maintenance and management division and they use the technology to support us," she told THE STAR. Garrick pointed to the system as more than just a servicing tracker, as it is also used for deployment and response.

"So when we talk about using technology to enhance our services, it is also using our fleet management and our day to day deployment and response to assignment," she said.

"Everything is all interrelated to create a network that ensures that accountability is there, responses monitored, and we are delivering the service that we promise."

Citizens have had long-standing concerns about police mobility in some divisions, with past reports highlighting shortages of serviceable vehicles, an issue that has, at times, hampered response efforts. But while the technology may improve monitoring, funding the upkeep and expansion of the fleet remains a yearly challenge.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang acknowledged that there is currently no fixed, long-term framework dedicated specifically to maintaining police vehicles.

"It's a budget item that we seek every year and there is a policy position to maintain the police at a certain level in terms of mobility," Chang said.

He noted, however, that structured arrangements do exist in some areas.

"What we get a framework for is maintenance, which comes under improvement of assets, so we would have supply of the vehicles and special guards would have framework contracts," he said.

"But we're looking at improving the whole area of maintenance because that's a critical element in keeping the fleet in good order and at the level we should."