Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson, arrives in Jamaica on Friday, April 30, 2010 for a five day visit to the island. The visit is the first in a series of planned visits of prominent international crime management experts with knowledge of contemporary trends in policing, being organised by The University of the West Indies, Mona, in collaboration with the Police Services Commission.   The visits are intended to facilitate an interaction between these experts and key persons associated with the transformation of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) allowing for an exchange of perspectives, ideas and recommendations on specific elements of the transformation process.

The Commissioner will hold a number of meetings with key stakeholders in the public and private sector, the leadership of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and also attend a symposium on the control of organized crime.    Sir Paul is expected to share his perspectives on relevant lessons to be learnt from the UK experience.

Sir Paul will also take the opportunity to meet with UWI staff and students who are engaged in research on policing, crime and criminal justice. He will also meet with media leaders for discussions on issues and topics related to policing and crime.

Sir Paul has been a member of the British Constabulary since 1975. During the course of his career he has been responsible for Territorial Policing Operations, Professional Standards, Marketing and Communications. He has also led in areas of significant organisational change and high profile operational challenges, including the reduction of gun crime, anti-corruption and combating terrorist activity. He also negotiated the formal arrangements governing the provision of assistance by the Security Services to the policing of serious and organised crime following the enactment of the UK Security Service Act 1996.

He was appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service in January 2009.