Are you residing in Jamaica and looking for a job as a Police Officer? Are you aware of the Police Officer Salary in Jamaica? Do you know all the requirements to become a police officer in Jamaica? This article answers all these questions to help you make that decision.
What is Police Officer Salary in Jamaica? The Jamaican government publicizes the average salaries of its civil servants. Police officers are included in the list of government employees earning a regular guaranteed, monthly salary. This article also discusses how much does a police make in jamaica, average salary for police officer in jamaica.
Police Officer Salary In Jamaica
The average police officer gross salary in Jamaica is $2,481,008 or an equivalent hourly rate of $1,193. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $57,311. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in Jamaica. An entry level police officer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $1,789,154. On the other end, a senior level police officer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $3,067,122.
Country Overview
Jamaica
Cost of living is calculated based on accumulating the cost of food, transportation, health services, rent, utilities, taxes, and miscellaneous.
Jamaica ( (listen); Jamaican Patois: Jumieka) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola (the island containing the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic); the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands lies some 215.
Job Description
Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.
how much does a police make in jamaica
In this article, we will look at the average Police Patrol Officer salary for 2022 in Jamaica and how that compares to other countries and professions. We’ll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!
The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.
All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Jamaican dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the JMD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.
How Much Does a Police Patrol Officer Make in Jamaica?
A Police Patrol Officer working in Jamaica will typically earn around 633,300 JMD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 305,600 JMD to the highest average salary of 996,600 JMD.
Average Annual Salary
633,300 JMD
Average Monthly Salary
52,775 JMD
Lowest Annual Salary
305,600 JMD
Lowest Monthly Salary
25,466 JMD
Highest Annual Salary
996,600 JMD
Highest Monthly Salary
83,050 JMD
These are average salaries for a Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica and include benefits such as housing and transport. It’s also possible for a Police Patrol Officer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.
Police Patrol Officer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.
Distribution of Police Patrol Officer Salaries in Jamaica
So we’ve looked at the average salaries a Police Patrol Officer will earn in Jamaica. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.
Salary ranges
We already know that a Police Patrol Officer can earn between 305,600 JMD and 996,600 JMD on average in Jamaica. This is known as the range in statistics.
The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.
Median salary
The median salary for a Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica is 659,200 JMD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.
What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 659,200 JMD, and 50% of the population earn more than 659,200 JMD.
If you are earning more than the median salary, that’s a good indicator that you are being paid well.
If you’re not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).
Percentiles
Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.
For the average Police Patrol Officer salary in Jamaica, 25% of the population are earning less than 433,400 JMD while 75% of the population earn more than 433,400 JMD.
75% of the population earn less than 862,100 JMD, and 25% of the population earn more than 862,100 JMD.
Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MEDIAN AND AN AVERAGE SALARY
The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.
- If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
- If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
- If you are somewhere in between then it’s tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.
Police Patrol Officer Salary by Experience Level in Jamaica
The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.
We have researched the average police patrol officer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you’ve worked for a certain amount of time.
- 0 – 2 Years Experience. A Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 357,300 JMD.
- 2 – 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Police Patrol Officer salary would increase to 504,300 JMD.
- 5 – 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Police Patrol Officer, the average salary would be 664,500 JMD.
- 10 – 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 816,000 JMD.
- 15 – 20 Years Experience. A Police Patrol Officer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 868,400 JMD.
- 20+ Years Experience. For a Police Patrol Officer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 953,300 JMD.
Average Salary by Experience Chart
| 0-2 Years | 357,300 JMD | |
| 2-5 Years | +42% | 504,300 JMD |
| 5-10 Years | +31% | 664,500 JMD |
| 10-15 Years | +23% | 816,000 JMD |
| 15-20 Years | +6% | 868,400 JMD |
| 20+ Years | +10% | 953,300 JMD |
Police Patrol Officer Salary by Education Level in Jamaica
As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?
In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.
The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.
In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.
- High School. A Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica with a high school education can earn an average salary of 442,300 JMD.
- Certificate or Diploma. A Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 649,700 JMD.
- Bachelor’s Degree. A Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica with a bachelor’s degree education can earn an average salary of 874,300 JMD.
Average Salary by Education Chart
| High School | 442,300 JMD | |
| Certificate or Diploma | +47% | 649,700 JMD |
| Bachelor’s Degree | +34% | 874,300 JMD |
HOW MUCH IS A MASTER’S DEGREE OR MBA PROGRAM?
The approximate cost of a master’s degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Jamaica is around 482,000 to 1,450,000 JMD and takes two years to complete.
As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master’s degree level, but don’t expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.
It’s common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.
Whether you decide to pursue a master’s degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.
Police Patrol Officer Salary Compared by Gender
In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.
In Jamaica, a male police patrol officer will earn an average of 656,800 JMD, while a female police patrol officer will earn around 620,300 JMD.
This means that a male police patrol officer earns approximately 6% more than a female police patrol officer for performing the same job.
Average Salary by Gender Chart in Jamaica
| Male | 656,800 JMD | |
| Female | -6% | 620,300 JMD |
Police Patrol Officer Average Pay Raise in Jamaica
In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.
From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica is around 5% every 30 months.
The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Jamaica is around 5% every 28 months.
In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.
To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:
Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12
So for this example, it would be:
Annual Increase = ( 5 ÷ 30 ) × 12 = 2%
What this means is that a Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 2% every 12 months.
Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Jamaica for 2022
In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Jamaica.
You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.
| Banking | 7% | |
| Energy | 5% | |
| Information Technology | 3% | |
| Healthcare | 1% | |
| Travel | 8% | |
| Construction | 6% | |
| Education | 4% |
Police Patrol Officer Bonus and Incentive Rates in Jamaica
Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.
Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.
A Police Patrol Officer is a low bonus based job, with 13% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.
87% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.
For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.
| Received Bonus | 13% | |
| No Bonus | 87% |
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF BONUS?
There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:
- Individual performance bonus – This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It’s the most common type of bonus.
- Company performance bonus – This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
- Goal based bonus – This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
- Holiday bonus – This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.
Government vs Private Sector Salaries
Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.
Public sector employees in Jamaica earn approximately 10% more than private sector employees in the same role.
| Public Sector | 1,235,600 JMD | |
| Private Sector | -10% | 1,122,900 JMD |
Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Police Patrol Officer
In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Police Patrol Officer in Jamaica.
| Job Title | Category | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Accreditation Coordinator | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,004,500 JMD |
| Accreditation Manager | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,428,800 JMD |
| Advocate | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 942,700 JMD |
| Armed Security Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 879,800 JMD |
| Company Guard | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 420,100 JMD |
| Control Room Operator | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 377,200 JMD |
| Correctional Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 650,800 JMD |
| Criminal Investigator | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,320,500 JMD |
| Facility Monitor | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 744,700 JMD |
| Fire Chief | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,273,300 JMD |
| Fire Dispatcher | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 628,000 JMD |
| Fire Education Specialist | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,079,600 JMD |
| Fire Extinguisher Technician | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 411,400 JMD |
| Fire Fighter | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 696,700 JMD |
| Fire Inspector | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,259,300 JMD |
| Fire Investigator | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,273,300 JMD |
| Fire Prevention Engineer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,058,300 JMD |
| Fire Prevention Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 904,700 JMD |
| Fire Protection Specialist | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,087,500 JMD |
| Forensic Investigator | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,196,900 JMD |
| Forensic Science Technician | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,249,900 JMD |
| Fraud and Forensic Specialist | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,380,400 JMD |
| Fraud Examiner | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,283,600 JMD |
| Grants Specialist | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,547,500 JMD |
| Intellectual Property Associate | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,122,500 JMD |
| Intelligence Research Specialist | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,870,400 JMD |
| Investigator | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,320,500 JMD |
| Jail Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 562,600 JMD |
| Juvenile Probation Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 875,000 JMD |
| Juvenile Supervision Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 878,900 JMD |
| Lock-Smith | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 377,200 JMD |
| Parole Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 619,000 JMD |
| Police Captain | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,476,700 JMD |
| Police Communications Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 870,700 JMD |
| Police Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 701,400 JMD |
| Prison Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 531,700 JMD |
| Prisoner Custody Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 451,000 JMD |
| Private Detective / Investigator | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,259,300 JMD |
| Security Adviser | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,249,900 JMD |
| Security Guard | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 359,900 JMD |
| Security Management Specialist | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,846,200 JMD |
| Security Manager | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,811,000 JMD |
| Security Officer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 428,400 JMD |
| Security Supervisor | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,009,600 JMD |
| Security Systems Installer | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 1,006,300 JMD |
| Security Technician | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 433,400 JMD |
| Surveillance Operator | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 513,300 JMD |
| Traffic Controller | Law Enforcement / Security / Fire | 736,700 JMD |
Salary Comparison by City
If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Jamaica, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.
| City | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Kingston | 702,800 JMD |
