December 30, 2000
JAMAICANS UNITED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY Dear Friends, As we look forward to the start of the new year let us remember those who were deprived of their lives by the policy of murder perpetrated by the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and condoned by the government and state of Jamaica. The figures are not yet tabulated but the JCF has surely killed close to 150 people -- the amount they killed in 1999. There is nothing to indicate that the government recognizes police killings as a serious human rights problem which it intends to something about. We must therefore renew our efforts in 2001 to compel State respect for human life. If government wanted to end the policy of police extra-judicial killings it has all the means at its disposal to do so. On several occasions when it suited government, it intervened to take action against certain objectionable actions of the police therefore indicating that it is not unaware of its powers and responsibility. The fact that it chooses not to take any action where police killings are concerned indicates that our fight is with the Jamaican government and State machinery even while we struggle to hold the police accountable. Brutal police methods is the SOLE response of a bankrupt government and bankrupt ruling class to economic underdevelopment and a structural unemployment problem. Unable to deal with the social and economic problems underlying crime they rely instead on terroristic methods. The recent quick response of the government to an abusive police search of a cruise ship shows that the government does recognize its powers thought it choses to selectively respond to issues of police misconduct. Respect for the tourist dollar is more important than respect for the rights of ordinary Jamaican citizens. It is our duty as citizens to demand our rights and demand respect. Lloyd D'Aguilar
Gleaner December 16, 2000 PM gets cruise ship report, orders action Prime Minister PJ Patterson has received the report he requested on the circumstances surrounding the police search of a cruise ship in Port Antonio last month. The Prime Minister has instructed the Commissioner of Police to “deal with” the police officers who were deemed improperly dressed. [HOW ABOUT ORDERING THE POLICE COMMISSIONER TO "DEAL WITH" POLICEMEN WHO EXECUTE INNOCENT PEOPLE. OR TO 'DEAL WITH' POLICEMEN WHO IMPROPERLY SEARCH THE PERSON AND PROPERTY OF ORDINARY CITIZENS. JUAPB.] He added that those found to have been unruly in their behaviour must be identified and barred from participating in activities of this kind in the future. The Police Commissioner, the Prime Minister noted, will decide whether any further disciplinary action should be pursued against the lawmen in question. The Prime Minister had called for a full report after the cruise ship Europa was searched by a team of police officers on Thursday, November 16. The incident had led the captain of the ship to protest against the “manner in which the search was carried out,” and to vow never to take his ship back to the island. The police, in the meanwhile, had denied any wrongdoing. [AS THEY ALWAYS DO. JUAPB.]
Observer November 22, 2000 Forbes orders new system for cruise passenger searches The police commissioner yesterday announced that he has assigned one of his senior officers the job of designing a new system for immigration and customs searches of cruise ship passengers. This has emerged as a sensitive issue since last Thursday’s controversial search by the police of luggage belonging to passengers of the cruise ship Europa in Port Antonio. Yesterday Commissioner Francis Forbes described the incident as unfortunate and said that he had given Assistant Commissioner Lebert Lawrence the job of ensuring that future searches of the kind do not offend visitors. Forbes told journalists at a news conference at his office yesterday that Lawrence will set up a “system that will facilitate (future) searches in a sensitive was that will not upset the tourism product. IN OTHER WORDS, MISTREATMENT OF TOURISTS GETS THE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE POLICE COMMISSIONER BUT NOT SO FOR PEOPLE WHO DEMONSTRATE AND BURN TIRES IN THE STREETS TO PROTEST POLICE KILLINGS.
Letter to the editor, Observer October 14, 2000 From Marilyn McIntosh, President, Flankers Citizens’ Association and Neighbourhood Watch, St James The raid which took place in Flankers on Friday September 22 was obviously carried out for public relations purposes because of the presence of the CVM [TV] camera crew. The police and soldiers were very rude to the citizen who have never done anything wrong and their general attitude was one of aggression. Over 30 young men were detained and in the process beaten and verbally abused by the police. Their parents and also women counterparts were likewise treated. People were taken from their homes and even out of bed. A barber and a customer in his chair were taken from his place of business and other customers who were waiting were also taken. Police personnel were barging into people’s houses with not even a “by your leave”. No “good morning”, nothing was said to homeowners. They just went into houses with their guns cocked. They even went into my 97-year-old grandmother’s room. She was sleeping in her chair and was awakened to the sight of a strange man with a gun pointed at her. Now what would the police hierarchy or the minister of national security have to tell me if her heart had given out? The police and soldiers had no respect for anyone. Everyone was referred to as “bwoy”, “gal”, or “ooman” and other demeaning names. Young men were taken and put in lines with the only reason from the police being, “Hey bwoy, you look suspicious.” Mothers were shoved out of the way and threatened with tear gas when they objected to their sons being taken. One policeman went so far as to say, ”De next time we coming fi di ooman dem.” The irony of the whole situation was that all the young men were released the same evening except one who was held on “suspicion of robbery”. The robbery being one that occurred a few months ago in the area where a Coco Cola truck was robbed and the driver shot. The young man, Anthony Dawkins, was beaten and his relatives were not allowed to see him. He is a young man who is innocent of any wrongdoing. Although he was not charged, he has been detained pending an identification parade. The driver of the truck is willing to attest that he was not the robber, and a number of people in the community can attest to the whereabouts of Mr Dawkins at the time of the incident. What is going to be said about the injuries he suffered at the time of the arrest? Is it just going to be a smile and “I am sorry?” Where is the justice in this? What was accomplished by this raid since not even one criminal was apprehended? The Flankers Citizens Association and the Neighbourhood Watch was launched in February of this year and we have had an uphill battle trying to build a good relationship between police and the citizens. We are calling upon the prime minister and the commissioner of police to curb Reneto Adams and his band of cowboys who have come into Flankers and destroyed everything that we have worked so hard to build with our local police and the Community Relations Division, in particular. These actions do not suppress crime; they build resentment and further mistrust of the police. The message being sent is that if you are innocent it does not matter as long as you are black, live in an inner city and are unfortunate enough toe be male, you are likely to be on the list of people to be in the next set of detainees. This type of behaviour does nothing to crime. The police should go and do real police work and conduct investigations. Don’t harass citizens without a cause. If this is how Adams’ team works, it is sadly lacking and we are in for a very rough ride.
Gleaner, December 22, 2000 Excerpt from a letter from Ryan Palmer, 71 Penwood Road, Kingston 11 I have just read that the Ministry of Security and Justice has, over the last 13 months, spent $0.2 billion on equipping the security forces with an assortment of vehicles. One, of course, cannot gainsay such expenditures. If, however, security personnel strain community relations with the weight of extrajudicial killings and ‘security by intimidation’ then neither high technology nor low will be able to effect their civic mandate.
Gleaner December 19, 2000 MoBay cops to stand trial for robbery Three Montego Bay-based policemen have been charged with robbery with aggravation arising from an incident in which they allegedly took away $600,000 in cash from a Jamaican and a Colombian three weeks ago. Applications for bail were denied as the RM said she considered the matter to be serious.
Gleaner November 27, 2000 Complaints authority lives up to its name The Police Public Complaints Authority, set up seven years ago to investigate complaints about police abuse, is itself complaining about “inaction and inordinate delay by the Jamaica Constabulary Force in response to requests for information. In the newly available 1998/99 report, the authority said it was concerned about “the inordinate delay” some police personnel who were the subject of complaints took to respond to the authority’s notification of allegations made against them. “They are not obliged to reply, but it may be in their best interest to do so. They should be mindful that as public employees they are in a peculiar position of trust and responsibility,” the report said.
Gleaner November 7, 2000 Farmer awarded JA$1m The Supreme court has ordered the Government to pay a 50-year-old farmer $1m for serious injuries he suffered when a policeman shot him in the chest and abdomen while he was detained at the Guy’s Hill Police Station, St Catherine. Hope Wauchope spent six months in hospital after Sergeant Keith Carty shot him twice on January 8, 1993. He sued the Attorney-General to recover damages Mr Justice Maurice Record, in handing down the judgment, said he found Wauchope's evidence without blemish. “It is more than probable that Sgt Carty had to discipline the plaintiff who was causing too much trouble,” the judge said. He added, however, that he could not rely on Sgt Carty's evidence as to the circumstances leading up to the shooting. Wauchope said a man hit him with a stick and Sgt Carty ordered him to go to the station. When he was at the station, Sgt Carty, with gun in hand, ordered him into what appeared to be a washroom. He refused because he felt the policeman was going to injure him. Sgt Carty then pointed the gun at him and shot him twice. He spent six months in hospital. Sgt Carty said Special Constable Lewis came into the station with Wauchope’s machete and was about to put it in a cupboard when Wauchope grabbed the machete. Wauchope chopped at Lewis and Carty drew his firearm and fired at Wauchope to prevent him from injuring Lewis. Wauchope was awarded $68,400 in special damages with interest at 6% from January 8, 1993. He was awarded $1m in general damages with interest at 6% per annum from May 24, 1994 when the writ was filed to October 27 this year when the judgment was handed down.
JAMAICA HERALD, December 24 - HALTING POLICE MURDERS The parents of two men who were killed by police earlier this year areforming a group pressure the Jamaican government to take action against police killings. Patricia Burke, one of the pioneers residing in the United States, intendsto launch her campaign on the popular NBC show Dateline within two weeks. Burke and Barrington Fox have certain things in common. They are parents of two young men who they claim were slaughtered by the same policeman under questionable circumstances in separate incidents. They are also calling on other relatives of persons gunned down by the police to join with them in lobbying the authorities to put an end to what they describe as wanton slaughter. Click here to return to Jamaicans United Against Police Brutality homepage. |