Wellness drive brings free health checks to St Andrew South police

Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) working in the St Andrew South Police Division and their families benefited from free health screenings last Wednesday in a targeted push to safeguard the well-being of cops who operate daily under intense pressure and high-risk conditions.

“Our human resources, our men and women you see standing at the traffic lights, conducting operations, driving and going about, they are our greatest asset, no matter how expensive the van they are driving is. This is a part of investing in them. It is a part of ensuring they are well,” Senior Superintendent Damian Manderson, who heads the St Andrew South Division, told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

“The push is to ensure their well-being by bringing in these doctors at their fingertips, at their beck and call so that they can get due care — and coming out of these visits come the follow-ups,” Manderson said.

Of Jamaica’s 19 police divisions, St Andrew South recorded 18 of the 174 murders committed across the island between January 1 and April 2025. The St James division recorded the highest, 22 murders.

Noting the hazardous nature of the job, Manderson said that, “Earlier in the week we brought in the credit union financial advisors to talk with them about the wealth side of things, like how to budget and to take stock of their finances — especially in tough times like these — to ensure that they make right decisions in preparing for the latter years of retirement and so on,” Manderson shared.

He also said that knowledge was imparted on how to prepare for ageing family members and the importance of an insurance coverage.

“It is a part of our thrust as a management body to ensure that our staff, whilst they work, they are working with clear, competent, healthy minds and spirit, putting everything in it, and that is what will translate on the streets with a safer division. Law enforcement in Jamaica, like anywhere else across the world, is a high-risk job. It is a job that seeks to put your literal body between criminals and law-abiding citizens. It is high stress and high tension,” Manderson said.

“Good mental health is absolutely important, and part of what we do is just that, to ensure that while the members are here physically they are here mentally when they go on the street to protect law-abiding citizens. It is not just good enough for them to show up, they must show up physically and mentally. We take mental health serious,” Manderson added.

“I must give a shout out to the doctors like Dr Nagamalleswara Rao Chandolu and others who constantly partner with us. Also, we have an efficient medical services branch that continues to support the well-being of the police officers and their families,” Manderson said.

He explained that Wednesday’s health fair, held at Hunt’s Bay Police Station, was the first of two planned for this year.

“The intent is to bring in several doctors from various specialities, be it surgeons, paediatricians, physiotherapists, general practitioners just to engage with the staff for them to be able to come forward and relate to their need. Their families were invited as well, so we are talking about both sworn and unsworn members. We afforded them that privilege that they can come in. Everything is free. We have doctors giving out various vitamins, minerals, and prescriptions, you name it,” Manderson shared.

MANDERSON… our human resources, our men and women you see standing at the traffic lights, conducting operations, driving and going about, they are our greatest asset