KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The union representing rank and file police officers has given its full backing to, Owen Ellington, the new man at the helm of the country’s police force.

The Police Federation said Ellington, who assumed the office of Acting Commissioner of Police following the resignation last week of top cop Rear Admiral Harley Lewin after less than two years on the job, will benefit from its full support.

“The Police Federation has assured the Acting Commissioner that we will be fully supporting him and his strategic direction from here on. We do whatever it takes to get the member to understand where we’re going and to ensure that they are onboard,” said Sergeant Raymond Wilson, the chairman of the Police Federation.

“We want to ensure that there’s clear communication between the (police high command) and the (Federation’s) memberships so that there’s no distortion in the message and the way we should be going,” he added.

Ellington will remain in the post until the Police Service Commission decides who will be permanently appointed Commissioner.

He will lead the 8,500-strong force at a time when the Bruce Golding administration and the Jamaican public are searching for answers to the spiraling crime problem in this Caribbean country, where an average of 1,500 people are murdered each year.