I would like to raise an issue concerning the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the delayed payments owed to former members who have departed — whether through resignation, choosing not to reenlist, or retirement.

Many ex-members who left the force in good standing have been waiting for over a year or more to receive the payments due to them. The finance branch of the JCF repeatedly claims there is a backlog of files, and the audit department is currently without a head after the previous person in charge retired, leaving the position unfilled for an indefinite period.

It has been an ongoing, frustrating process to contact the finance branch, only to receive the same unconvincing explanations.These payments could help in many significant ways, but the JCF continues to withhold them.