Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, long-time critic of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), has maintained its stinging attack on the local police force, in the human rights watchdog's latest international report released yesterday.
The 2005 report has criticised the Jamaican security forces for what it said were reports of police brutality and excessive use of force in 2004.
This was one of the issues former Commissioner of Police, Francis Forbes had addressed in December 2003, when he implemented the JCF's Human Rights and Use-of-Force and Firearms Policy.
INCREASE IN MURDER CHARGES
The human rights watchdog has said also that while there had been an increase in the number of police officers charged with murder, there had been no convictions. The report stated that at least 100 people were killed by the police, many in circumstances suggesting they were extra-judicially executed.
Two cases were highlighted by the Amnesty International report: the death of Phillip Baker, Crag Vascianna and taxi driver Omar Graham, who were killed during an alleged shoot-out with the police in Burnt Savannah, Westmoreland in March 2004.
The second case involved the death of Sandra Sewell and Gayon Alcott who were killed by members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) during an incident in August Town, St. Andrew, in September 2004.
CASE RULED OUT
According to the police, the Burnt Savannah case was ruled on by the director of public prosecutions (DPP) who referred the matter to the Coroner's Court. The matter is scheduled to come before the court again on September 1. This is one of two cases with which Scotland Yard investigators assisted the local police. The other was the Kraal incident in Clarendon. Regarding the Sandra Sewell case, the police said the file is still with the DPP.
The Amnesty International report further stated that local conditions of detention frequently amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and that "at least two people were sentenced to death; (but) there were no executions".
Amnesty said that Jamaican authorities gave differing figures on the number of people killed by the police. It quoted local human rights groups as indicating that as many as 130 people were killed by the police."For the fifth consecutive year, no police officers were brought to justice for their involvement in cases of unlawful killing, although some were under investigation," Amnesty International said.
It said police officers often failed to protect crime scenes, allowing forensic evidence to be destroyed, lost or damaged. Statements from officers involved in fatal shootings were often taken after long delays. "A government pledge to strengthen investigations into police killings failed to materialise."
