Gareth Manning, Gleaner Writer

Even as murder continues to decline, a continuously high number of people are being killed by the police.

National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips announced this week that murder took another plunge, dropping by a quarter for the first eight months. But even as he announced this, the killing of four men by police in Alexandria, Clarendon, last week, caused chaos in May Pen, resulting in the closure of several businesses in the parish capital.

In addition, the killing of another man in Central Village, Spanish Town, resulted in more protests two days later. Residents claimed he was dragged out of a church, where he had gone to pray, and shot by the police.

The number of fatalities caused by the police's gun rose by 18 in June, increasing the number of fatalities to 98, data received from the Ministry of National Security under the Access to Information Act show.

Reliable sources have informed The Sunday Gleaner that that figure now stands at 129 for the first eight months of the year. At least 31 persons were killed between July and last week.

In total, more than 250 shooting incidents have been referred to the Bureau of Special Investigation (BSI) for further probes since the start of the year.

This increasing trend has again raised concerns among human rights lobby groups who have consistently censured the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), for its nonchalant attitude toward curbing the handful of cops who they claim are repeatedly committing these offences.

Condemned by amnesty int'l

Amnesty International in its latest report condemned the JCF for numerous extra-judicial killings and inhumane treatment of detainees, claiming they were subject to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.

The human rights body also criticised the process of investigation, alleging that police officers often failed to preserve crime scenes, and statements from officers were usually taken only after long delays.

It added that several policemen charged with unlawful killings had fled from justice, including the policeman charged with the murder of 10-year-old Renée Lyons in 2003.

But even as there are more killings by cops, the lives of policemen on the front line are being increasingly snuffed out by criminals. And police-criminal confrontational shootings have grown over the years too, with the highest, 375 incidents, occurring last year. This year, the police has already been faced with over 150 confrontations from criminals armed with superior guns.

Shadow Minister on National Security Derrick Smith told The Sunday Gleaner that even while this might be the situation the police force is faced with, it needs to act more professionally.

"We expect that they should protect and defend themselves at all times," he argued. In circumstances, you have seconds to make your decision - whether you should shoot your attacker or find some other ways of apprehending the attacker. However, based on my knowledge, there seems to be a tendency to fire your weapon much too quickly."

Hard-policing strategy

He said the strategy of hard policing needs to be replaced with more efficient and organised methods of policing. "This whole matter of hard policing, killing suspects and then saying that they were wanted for five [or] six murders and if the suspect is killed then he has solved four, five, six murders, is a strategy that has been in force from in the 1960s and if truth be told, it is a strategy that has failed, because for 40 years, we have been killing criminals and we now have more criminality than we have before," said Smith.

Shooting deaths

1999 - 65
2000 - 149
2001 - 157
2002 - 154
2003 - 128
2004 - 131
2005 - 202
2006 - 98

(Up to June 30)
Source: Ministry of National Security
129 fatalities (Up to August)

- Source JFJ