The Jamaican Government may need to source $111 million to bankroll the newly-formed anti-corruption unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, to ensure that the unit operates at its optimal level.
The unit was launched Tuesday at the Police Officers’ Club, St. Andrew, reports the Jamaica Gleaner.
Assistant Commissioner Novelette Grant, who gave an overview of the JCF’s Anti-Corruption Strategy, explained that for the system to work effectively, the funding must be in place. This, she said, would ensure that all the entities that fall under the Professional Standards Branch are fully functional.
She said that investigations into acts of corruption by the police will be conducted by the Internal Affairs division, but lamented that the unit was being hampered by a lack of surveillance equipment and suitable motor vehicles for covert operations.
“The most critical area for the team is the acquisition of technologies that will assist with covert operations such as lifestyle surveillance. Without the necessary tools, we run the risk of either being unable to action intelligence reports or having them fail when we try,” Ms. Grant said.
The new Anti-Corruption Strategy allows the use of disciplinary codes to dismiss any member from the force for serious cases of unethical and inappropriate behaviour, breaches of discipline and codes of conduct that harm the image of the force, and where it is in the public’s interest to do so. It also allows for inter-agency cooperation with agencies such as the Financial Investigation Division and the Corruption Prevention Commission.
ACP Grant stressed that since the inception of the PSB, the unit has received significant information on the criminal and other dishonest activities of police personnel.
However, she added that “we lack the capability to convert intelligence into the necessary evidence.”
Nonetheless, since June 25 police personnel have been arrested and charged for theft, conspiracy and breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act.
Ms. Grant also said the system requires a more robust application to encourage members of the JCF to retire in the public’s interest. Statistics have showed that over the past 15 years five officers have been asked to retire in the public’s interest.
Looking at the backlog of Court of Enquiry cases, ACP Grant said that since 1990 there have been 56 court of enquiry dismissals, which represents a fraction of the number of cases languishing in the system.
She said the records showed that of the 610 cases in 2003, 68 members were fined, 12 dismissed, 15 reprimanded, 49 cases withdrawn, three reduced in ranks, while 162 of the cases were not proven. The statistics further showed that 18 persons retired while their cases were still pending. Meanwhile, of the 610 cases for the period, 280 are still awaiting closure.
Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas praised the strategy for the protection it affords ‘whistleblowers’, thereby providing avenues for police officers to report the misconduct of their own colleagues.
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