The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has undergone what can only be called a transformation. Gone are the days of recruiting the bottom of the barrel, now they aim to recruit the best and brightest. Gone are the days of starvation wages, the new compensation review, according to the finance ministry, sees them far better off. Gone are the days of shoddy work environments and dodgy vehicles as they now sport the best cars and bikes and work in newly revamped or built-for-purpose facilities.
The JCF, according to the previous and new commissioners, is a lean, mean, fit for purpose, intelligence-driven organisation, au fait with modern technology that can bring evidence to bring down the gangs and criminals assaulting the island.
Despite this reliance on technology, which has seen them bombard social media and work in cohort with the genocidal regime in Israel in surveillance, the JCF has found issues with its constables and officers wearing body cameras when on operation. For clarification, no one has said they should be wearing them all 8 hours while on duty, just that when on an operation, which can lead to the use of force or traffic stops, body cameras should be worn.
How do we explain the reluctance to wear these devices? The JCF as an entity has long been bedeviled by accusations of wanton abuse of civilians, accusations which they deny strenuously, and rumours of rampant corruption at the traffic cop level. If anything these devices would show us what the JCF has long stated, that those killed in mysterious circumstances engaged the police with deadly force so they reacted, or that people who make allegations of cops begging a bribe at a traffic stop are all liars. If nothing else, these devices would provide the public with the reassurance that yes, the JCF is clean, up to the task and not playing above the law.
The reasons given for not wearing the body cameras have bordered on reasonable to hilarious. The reasonable one was that the force did not have the technology to store the video which would be recorded, and that time was needed. Reasonable was that people needed training on them and that we didn’t have enough for a rollout. Odd is the JCF stating that the uniforms impeded the rolling it out of the cameras, so a new uniform was brought in. Hilarious is the National Security Minister stating that they would fall off during engagements (someone needs to tell US, UK, and Canadian officers this), or that it would not capture the full events so it would be useless.
The truth is, even the reasonable excuses made little sense when compared to the benefits and negatives and the staunch refusal from both the JCF and the Ministry to have the use of cameras implemented raises serious questions.
The first question is the most serious: Is the JCF a murderer’s den? Is the public correct in thinking that the force is in fact the largest gang in the country which uses and abuses its powers at will? A serious accusation, but with even the Prime Minister now admitting that the force has been infiltrated by gangs — something the public has long known and spoken of — it is not far-fetched to ask. Do they not wear cameras because they don’t want us to see them murdering gangsters who happen to be unarmed, is it that they don’t want us to see them planting the guns?
The refusal to do even the most basic and liberal of actions leaves the door open to speculation, and since it is our leaders who have left the door ajar I say we go whole hog. Is it that they don’t want to use the cameras because all of the traffic cops are on the take, or is it because some are on the take and those not on the take just can’t bother? Which is worse, doing the bad deed, or doing nothing to stop it — aren’t they both culpable?
The truth is, despite the billions spent the JCF remains the same creature, with the same mentality: Kill and destroy, an inability to build a strong case without breaching rights and just totally useless when it comes to its stated tasks of reassurance and instilling trust.
Despite the big talk, much-hyped training, the lavish PR campaign and lofty goals of policing with the consent of the populace, some things remain the same and will continue to pit the people against the force. Despite the talk they have been unable to rid themselves of the squaddie mentality, looking out for fellow members of the force even if they are doing criminal activities. This, if we are honest, is a big reason for the reluctance to wear the cameras; few in the force want to inform, and fewer still are willing to self-incriminate so we can expect the reluctance, even and especially from the top, to continue.
It says a lot that a body, even when couched in self-protective language, refuses oversight and leads to only one dark conclusion, one which Jamaicans are only too well aware of.
The JCF, barring some major foul-up, can shoot a pregnant woman killing her and the baby, and walk away Scot-free after being investigated by your own buddies. The refusal to commit to this oversight willingly will haunt the JCF and harm its crime-fighting abilities.
People will remain reluctant to bring critical evidence because the police can’t be trusted, witnesses will refuse court summonses for the same reason. Parents and loved ones will caution others involved in crime against turning themselves in because it’s death anyway, and children in the inner cities will view them as occupying forces as they engage in abusive practices and receive no reprimand.
The JCF still has a long way to go if it wants to shed the reputation of State-paid thugs and this action does not help them. In a society which is plagued by violent crime people would love to be able to place full faith in the crime fighters, believe that they are doing the right thing and where they are not, they are looking to correct it. We do not see that, we see dragging of feet, delaying, lame excuses and the list goes on. It needs to stop before the little goodwill built up by the force is burnt away as they seek to block oversight.
