It has been ten years since the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) Act was established but it remains a struggle for investigators. According to Commissioner, Terrence Williams the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has been obstructing its ability to perform specifically with identification procedures involving officers.
“Ordinarily a citizen may not know the name of the police officer who has allegedly misconducted himself. A case file cannot be presented unless there is a cogent and legal way to point out this officer,” he says.
However, some officers are refusing to volunteer for this identification process, to assist INDECOM’s investigations.
“In those cases, if it were a civilian there would be automatic arrest and informal procedure held,” Williams explains. “But the JCF refuse to do these informal procedures and to arrest their colleagues for the purpose of informal procedures.”
In 2018, the Court of Appeal made a judgment stating that INDECOM had no power to arrest. A meeting was subsequently held on March 29, 2018, with the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and INDECOM. Williams says the JCF agreed at this meeting to comply with the informal parade.
“Since then we have made about ten requests for informal identification parades and so far the JCF has not assisted in a single case despite many requests, many meetings, many promises – if you do this we will do the parade. We do exactly what they ask, they don’t do the parade.”
Williams believes that this occurrence will lead members of the JCF to believe they have impunity and cannot be caught. As such, this information has been placed in a report to Parliament to have the issue addressed.
