By Omar Anderson, Gleaner WriterHUMAN RIGHTS activists have welcomed a Scotland Yard recommendation that all victims of police shootings be X-rayed, arguing that bullets left in victims' bodies can identify a trigger puller and provide more essential forensic information.
According to them, cost should not be an issue as the price of justice cannot be too costly.
On Monday, senior officers in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) criticised the Scotland Yard recommendation which was given last week following the visit of two of its senior detectives to assist in the investigation of the killing of three men by the police in Westmoreland in April, this year.
The officers claim the recommendation was not workable because it would be too expensive to X-ray bodies.
STRONG INTEREST
But Yvonne McCalla-Sobers, convenor of Families Against State Terrorism (FAST), told The Gleaner on Tuesday that her organisation has a strong interest in the new recommendation, as since January, there have been a number of cases where persons have been buried with bullets lodged in them. She added that in other cases, bullets have been found in bodies when a second post-mortem was done.
"It is not true that dead men tell no tales," she said. "Dead bodies carry a lot of very important evidence."
She lauded the Bureau of Special Investigation (BSI) which she said has co-operated many times in allowing a second post-mortem to be done on police homicides in which FAST has interest.
"All autopsies should meet international standards," Mrs. McCalla-Sobers said. "Specifically, those which raise questions, including fatal shootings, deaths in custody, and strangulations."
Meanwhile, Attorney-General and Justice Minister A.J. Nicholson told The Gleaner on Tuesday, that the Government did not have a position on the issue at this time.
"It is something we would have to consider," he stated.
On Tuesday, a radiologist from a reputable private X-raying medical facility told The Gleaner that a basic X-ray can cost about $1,000. Taking into consideration the various limbs in a body, the radiologist said a basic body X-ray could cost around $11,600 each. If a CAT scan is involved, the price would be increased to $15,000.
David Dobson, administrator at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) said yesterday that the hospital did not have a structured fee to X-ray a body. In fact, he said two weeks ago, the police asked the hospital to X-ray a body which the hospital performed free of cost.
Susan Goffe, chairperson of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), said X-raying the bodies of persons the police kill in questionable circumstances would enhance transparency.
"We believe this is an important procedure in the whole investigative process, it gives crucial guidance for the post-mortem," she told The Gleaner. Mrs. Goffe also echoed earlier statements that there have been occasions where bodies have been buried with bullet or bullet fragments lodged inside.
"We need to remember how important a bullet can be in establishing the link between the gun and the death of a person," she said.
On the invitation of Police Commissioner Francis Forbes, two Scotland Yard detectives visited the island last week to help with the investigation of three men the police shot fatally in Westmoreland in April this year. The police said the men were killed during a shoot-out, however, residents protested that the men were murdered.
