In this post, Jacob Bright, a student in the MA in Latin American Studies programme, writes about the research for his dissertation, which was awarded the Elsa Goveia prize for the best dissertation on the Caribbean. 

Policing in the Post-Colonial State: The Politics of Militarised Policing in Jamaica, 1962-1976 

 Jacob Bright 

Policing in Jamaica during the 1960s and 1970s was militarised and violent. This is usually attributed to political pressures, colonial legacies, and social failures: insecure leaders facing partisan competition, growing societal unrest, and threats to their authority turned to repression to maintain control. As revealed through my research in the National Archives, this history is, however, incomplete.  

Empire remained deeply entangled with Jamaica’s security long after independence in 1962. This was not colonial influence fading away, but an intentional policy that enabled convergence with British interests through training programmes, personnel exchanges, and the grooming of leadership. 

British officials worked to ensure Jamaican policing developed “along British lines”, maintaining regional influence and alignment on security priorities. Foreign powers, particularly Britain, wielded considerable influence over Jamaica’s security infrastructure through the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). The JCF was formed in 1867 after the Morant Bay Rebellion and underwent little change over the following century. The JDF, created in 1962, was commanded by British officers until 1965, inheriting the structure, tactics, and repressive mentality of its imperial predecessor. Both remained institutional legacies of colonial control.   (more…)