One of the many things I learned about Policing in Jamaica is that it is not a job that you give your all to, It does not pay well, it is a thankless job, and most of all, you are basically on your own in times of trouble even if you are dead right.
Left Former Inspector Dadrick Henry:
In 1987, I was one of four officers transferred temporarily from the Mobile Reserve to Constant Spring CIB. I was a young officer with five years of service in the JCF. Within those five years, I had seen service at the then Beat, Foot Patrol at the bottom of West Street, regular uniform duties at the Mobile Reserve, and the so-called élite Rangers squad operating out of the said Mobile Reserve. Contrary to the noise you hear about social engineering and elitist policing, we got results.
Our transfer aimed to fill the gargantuan shoe-prints left by the indomitable Cornwall (bigga) Ford, who had cemented a name for himself in the Saint Andrew North Police Area. The fear was that crime would escalate with Ford leaving for CIB Headquarters.
On our arrival there, that man whose portrait you see above with that of Ford was a Corporal of Police, attached to the CIB office. No cop, Detective, or aide was more effective than Dadrick Henry. On my first day learning the area, I took a loaded .38 revolver from the waistband of a well-known career criminal alias (chicken-toe) — my very first collar in that precinct.
Dadrick Henry and I were to alter anchor one of the most successful duos ever stationed anywhere in the country. Our record of success spoke for itself. We removed murderers and guns from the streets and gained convictions, which meant they paid for their crimes. We recovered stolen property, so much stolen property the media had to aid us in having people come into the Constant Spring Police Station to identify their property. People came from all over the country.
The recovered property facility overflowed, and there was no room to store the recovered property. Most importantly, we provided a deterrent to gang and drug activity in the entire St Andrew North Police area. Dadrick Henry had a nose for sniffing criminals, like a trained sniffer Dog. We took innumerable amounts of guns from the streets. I told my friend, “Leave some of you for you” I reiterated that message over the years whenever we spoke.
Detective Inspector Noël Asphall, then our Boss, would put underperforming cops to work with us as punishment; after a few weeks, they would say they had had enough and learned their lesson. We were always on duty, and the criminals knew it. Dadrick Henry is not perfect; he had a temper, and he took the job sometimes a little too seriously. I warned him about that; I sometimes acted as a good cop to his bad cop persona; it worked for what we wanted to accomplish and to keep him out of trouble.
Dadrick Henry stayed on with the JCF. He wasn’t perfect, but he was a cops cop. After I left, he got into trouble; he lost his job and was convicted of using excessive force. I cannot speak to that; I wasn’t there. All I know is that he did his job. The force had no more use for his kind. He was tough, produced results, and was no-nonsense. This new force belongs to Carolyn Gomes of the criminal rights lobby JFJ.
Today, sadly, this is Dadrick Henry’s story :
Four years without earning a cent
Fearless veteran cop Dadrick Henry yearns for better treatment by the police force.He has been shot twice in the line of duty and stabbed in both arms by an enraged criminal. But after serving his country for 35 years, embattled cop Inspector Dadrick Henry is almost a broken man. He has been after four years in the wilderness without earning a cent.
Mike , hard Policing , the type executed by Dadrick and others in the 80’s ‚was relevant then and produced results . There were, unfortunately, immense challenges and human rights concerns that affected its longevity . This is not the appropriate forum to discuss and elaborate on this particular issue , I would instead best utilise the little space to endorse your observation of the man, Dodrick . He was an incredible , dedicated and hard working police officer . His work ethic was admirable and commendable . Unfortunately, the “politics” within the force at that time , starved him of elevation,despite his accomplishment . As a young detective , I had the opportunity of working with this prodigy of a detective in the 80’s and I must say he had a proclivity to see a man with a gun from an eagles eye perspective , identify a criminal in a suit and challenge the most dangerous offenders. The Force was never kind to Dodrick , he had his demons , perhaps created by the Force itself which had a ripple effect within his personal space We are not perfect , and we all have our skeleton in closets . Unfortunately when the dust clears , Dodrick will not be remembered for his contribution to the Force but his missteps. God bless him .
True mister Mcleish , you were a witness, and like I said he had his demons.!
Jamaicans, and the Jamaican government, politicians don’t want police officer like him, they want the “Ellington’s and the James Forbes’s” well spoken and illiterate to being a realist and fearless crime fighters.” The days of being a no nonsense or name brand cops is a thing of the past. The PNP and JLP celebrate with the outcome of this matter. The politicians hate police
work with him at lucea/nice man good friend bad enemy wish him all the best hope he writes a book . if any one have any connection to help him to do so. it would be gladly appreciated . as long as the force is there there all ways gona dadricks . i left a couple young ones down there recently