INDECOM reiterates concern about police killings

In the first two months of this year, at least 56 people have been shot and killed by the police, an average of nearly one fatal shooting per day.

This surge has sparked major concern from the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), which has warned that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is at risk of returning to a dangerous culture of use of excessive force. INDECOM Assistant Commissioner Hamish Campbell said that the scale of the killings raises urgent questions.

"What is happening which the police weren't doing before, which necessitates and has resulted in this level of fatalities by the forces?" he asked. While acknowledging that some criminals do engage police in gunfights, Campbell pointed out that many of the people killed were unarmed or not posing an immediate threat, based on the "the evidence we have and the facts that we have from all these cases". He added that many of the victims included individuals who were not the so-called "gunmen" the police often refer to.

"Most of the shootings involve other people from, [a] vehicle or unarmed people or the mentally unwell, whether they're armed with a machete or a knife or something else," he explained.

It (the shootings) create a risk of developing a culture which occurred 10 years ago, where shootings were so prolific that other officers believe the gun is the only response," he added.

In recent months, statements from Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness and the Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake have raised eyebrows -- the former suggesting those seeking to engage in wrongdoing would "You will either meet a judge or your maker", and the latter stating "I do not train my police to lose." When asked whether the rhetoric of national leaders could be influencing the police's approach, Campbell said he didn't want to get involved in any political debate.

"The rule of law is everywhere [and ] Jamaica applies the rule of law. Its Constitution has the right to life, the respect for the right of life, and the use of force has to be used in very few occasions where the threat to an officer or somebody with them is a real risk of death or injury."

He added that there are policing tactics used worldwide to arrest dangerous suspects without resorting to lethal force.

"If language like that is being used or has been used, that can, for some, be seen as a sort of indication that there's no challenge or consequence," he said. One of the most pressing issues, according to Campbell, is the inconsistent use of body-worn cameras by police officers.

"The infrastructure is there now, and that's why we can see the body-worn cameras on the police officers. We've got normal shooting incidents where police officers were wearing body-worn cameras, and we get that from the police. We know the infrastructure is there," he said.

"Leaders direct and steer organisations. And if a leader wants to have body-worn cameras, if they want to, they would have them wearing them now. I'm afraid I believe that," he added.

Campbell stressed that INDECOM's concerns were not about being anti-police but about ensuring proper oversight and accountability.

"It's not even criticism; it's observational facts," he said. "No one's anti-police at all. No one's anti-law and order. We are entitled to raise up concerns which are staring us in the face," he said. He urged the JCF to take immediate action to address these issues.

"If it's left in a complete denial, and everything is correct everywhere -- everyone else is wrong except the JCF -- that's not the way to manage how Jamaica's forces of law and order move forward," Campbell said.