Jamaican Cops Deploy Skeng’s Song In Anti-Gang Fight: ‘Weh Yuh Know Bout Gvnman Shifts?’
Jamaica’s Joint Anti-Gang Task Force appears to be relying heavily on the power of Reggae and Dancehall popular culture, including slangs and songs, to not only nullify the anti-informer culture but to make being an informant trendy, in their bid to capture gunmen and other hoodlums who are terrorizing the island.
The Task Force, which is a collaborative effort of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), was established weeks ago to primarily target guns, gunmen and other rascals, and to disrupt criminal activities across the island, via the deployment of specially trained members of the Constabulary and the military.
As part of its seeming de-stigmatization effort, the JCF’s Corporate Communications Unit has turned the lyrics of Skeng’s Gvnman Shift, which was DancehallMag’s No.1 song of 2021, to their advantage, enticing Jamaicans to assist in weeding out the hoodlums from within their midst.
In an Instagram post, which also contained an image of Alkaline’s “Vendetta mask”, and which many of their 200,000-plus followers found hilarious, the Constabulary noted:
“Gunmen ‘patrol’ communities, ‘lock endz’ and terrorize residents during day and night time. Know about these gunmen shifts? Tell us ’bout the ‘endz’, ‘system yaad’, ‘shoes’, ‘stick’ ‘tall up’ and the ‘K’. The JAGTF is resolute and unwavering in its mandate to rid communities of guns, gunmen and gangs. Tell us what you know. Help us to create a safer Jamaica”.
Some followers said that the posts made by the JCF posts created using popular culture, over the last several months, were really having a positive psychological effect on them, as it made providing intel seem like a hot and trendy thing to do.
Others kept tagging Skeng, while some mockingly said that the “gunman shift was over”.
“Me like deh style ya. It’s the same things happening just as how you hear them in the songs. Run in on them jcf them nuh have no shift bout ya,” one young man said, while another added: “Da admin yah a encourage me fi tun informa. 🤣🤣☠️☠️💀💀💀💀💀…….dem honestly need fi make this person commissioner 🤣🤣🤣🤣”.
Others praised the security forces for using popular culture to aid them in being the Achilles heel of gunmen who have been wreaking mayhem across the country with impunity, sparing neither man, child or woman as they carried out their destructive acts.
“Look like them get a new social media personnel one a the young in the streets one, about time. Keep them coming the ppl them will soon start talk, if me did know any me would a talk… 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏,” one woman said.
Still, others demanded that the creative director for the JCF be given a raise of salary, and applauded the team for engineering what they consider a brilliant concept. Others declared that they were happy to see that the JCF was finally using the internet to its advantage.
“If you unno eva remove this new social media person we will be taking it to the streets @jamaicaconstabularyforce. We love it here perfect way to get the message around because sharing will definitely happen ❤️,” one woman said, while another added: “You want to catch gunmen you have to think like them. admin: young and intelligent 🔥🔥”.
“Right they language is what they understand 😂😂😂😂😂raise the marketing team pay fimi dey😂😂,” one amused woman said.
Other Dancehall fans, seemed happy for the entertainment and cheered the police along, noting that the Jamaica Constabulary Force-authored, Dancehall-type social media posts, which have been running for sometime, seem to be somehow changing the perception of the police force as being “old fashioned” and “out of touch” as it appeared up to a few years ago, to being modern, trendy and stylish based on the reactions on Instagram.
“Unuh knw bad man chune tho, a who say unuh nuh knw chune😂 Ayee Unuh Lego JCF shirts nuh mannnnn… Ovah yahso nice man…but wait a waah gwaan. Ting tun up‼️😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂,” one said.
“😂😂😂 who be running this page I got to commend you I really think this is the way to get the younger people involved in crime fighting,” another added.
“Mi rate dis social media manager👏👏👏😂😂😂… This will definitely change the perception of the police force… of only they would change how they operate and stop link wid gunman,” one commenter stated.
The JCF also released a video of the unit in action, with the Inner Circle mega-hit Bad Boys as its soundtrack. Bad Boys which peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, was used in the action-comedy movie Bad Boys starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence which was named after the song.
As the lyrics with Inner Circle chanting ‘Bad boys, bad boys what you gonna do/What you gonna do when they come for you’, the visuals show convoys of police patrol vehicles with sirens blaring, rolling slowly through communities, and well as intimidating-looking policemen carrying out searches of men, with backup support from the soldiers.
“Lovvvve it ✨✨ have this on tvj and cvm as commercials… make being a “Cop” COOL AGAIN,” one JCF fan wrote in response, while another added: “It’s a tough challenge for the security forces but continued to apply the pressure on the evil forces trying to mash up our paradise”.
“It’s about time we stop treating law abiding citizens like criminals and start taking the fight to the actual criminals. Keep up the good work @jamaicaconstabularyforce,” said another.
“Who ever running this page make me start feel like there is hope for Jamaica with crime and violence,” one woman stated.
Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson, said, a few days ago that the social media campaign has been reaping much success, as numerous persons who were featured in the Wanted Wednesdays Campaign were captured and 17 of Jamaica’s 88 most wanted men were captured or had become scared and turned themselves in.