A viral video with a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) issuing veiled death threats against citizens has led one human rights group requesting a probe into the matter.
In its request on January 7, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), a human rights and social justice organization, said if the contents of the video are true, at minimum, it represents a barefaced breach of the numerous force orders, including the JCF’s Police Public Policy.
“At its worst, it is vulgar barefaced oral assertion that a serving member of the JCF is prepared to engage in extrajudicial killings whilst breaching existing laws which prohibit the use of profanity. We must remember that improper police action, unprofessional conduct, and excessive force are the main reasons for some citizen mistrust of the JCF,” noted JFJ.
“It is important to note that in a country with such high levels of crime, one needs the JCF. The video undermines the moral authority of the JCF, which is necessary in our fight against crime. It is always an attack on decency, law and order whenever a few individual police officers act in a manner inconsistent with the core of the JCF by, for example, using expletives to address citizens or use of homophobic pejoratives as seen in the video,” the JFJ said in the statement.
The human rights organization said the conduct demonstrated in the video would leave any law-abiding citizen horrified, adding that “if it is true, it would mean that some of our law enforcers are our lawbreakers.”
“This conduct should not be met with impunity since it can further undermine the noble JCF,” the JFJ said, adding that videos such as these weaken the fight against crime and the great work of the majority of law-abiding police personnel. JFJ noted that it is vital that the good men and women of the JCF do something against the actions depicted in the video.
In light of this, the JFJ says the JCF must publicly state if an investigation will be conducted in a timely manner, whether the activity in the video is conjecture or genuine, and if the person is still a serving JCF member.
The JFJ said the police force must also say, if the investigation will determine if criminal charges should be laid against the person captured on the video, and whether the offending police officer will continue, without interdiction, in the force until the investigation is completed by the unnamed investigatory unit.
JFJ said while issues such as the illegal possession of a firearm require serious action, police personnel must ensure they always act within the remit of the law, adding that it is the legislature’s duty to make the necessary amendments to address any shortcomings of the law.
“We will not advance in our fight against crime until our law enforcers, law-makers and citizenry start to respect the rule of law. We cannot create justice by being unjust,” added the human rights group.
