Police youth clubs making a comeback

Fifteen years ago, police youth clubs drew hundreds of teenagers to summer camps, parades, and after-school meetings that doubled as lessons in discipline and belonging.

Today, after a pandemic-era collapse and years of dwindling interest, a slow resurgence is taking shape, one the Jamaica Constabulary Force believes could quietly rebuild trust between police and the island's young people. National Police Youth Club Coordinator, Sergeant Ricardo McCalpin, said COVID-19 put a dent in every community programme.

"But we adapted, we went virtual, we kept the connection alive, and that's why the movement is still standing," he told THE STAR. Backed by partnerships with the HEART/NSTA Trust, the Ministry of Education and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, the Police Youth Club Movement is now charting a deliberate comeback, embedding itself once again in schools and inner-city communities. Its renewed mission is to offer skills training, mentorship and a second chance at structure for hundreds of young Jamaicans once considered lost to the streets. What the clubs are now attempting goes far beyond after-school recreation - it is social repair.

"There was a time when the very sight of a uniform could make youths turn away," McCalpin said. "Now, more of them are asking how to join." He credited that shift to consistent mentorship and a visible effort by police officers to serve as role models rather than enforcers. At community workshops and school meetings, officers sit in circles with students, not at podiums. The aim is to show that authority and empathy can coexist.

"Some of the same people who once believed police were inhumane are now willing to partner with us," he added. "It's a new kind of relationship."

That relationship has also produced tangible results. Through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, the movement received a $4-million grant, half of which went toward musical instruments still used in training sessions that draw inner-city youth into structured activity. The HEART/NSTA Trust has since certified more than 200 participants in fields such as motor-vehicle repair, painting, and customer service, opening doors to employment in the BPO sector and on cruise ships.

Beyond classrooms and workshops, the movement continues its outreach to children's homes and youth facilities across the island, particularly during Christmas and national youth observances. Officers volunteer their time, comb hair, share meals, and hold small empowerment sessions for children without parents or stable homes.

"We don't turn away street children," McCalpin explained. "But the goal is to place them in structured spaces where they can grow. The youth club isn't a home, it's a bridge."

In those sessions, students spoke openly about the daily struggles they face, from safety on the way to school to finding spaces where they feel heard, and police officers worked alongside them to turn those concerns into action plans. "When police and youth work together, that's a positive look for the country," he said, urging parents to let their children be part of a structured organisation.