Dear Editor,
Reports in the local media on the purchase of 120 body cameras for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have been greeted by some as a positive step in bringing our police in line with a modern-day law enforcement unit. Unfortunately, I cannot join in the applause meted out by many at the expenditure associated with this purchase.
My inability to share the glee that greeted this announcement has to do with the fact that the JCF has not proved it is capable of handling body cameras or caring for them. I seriously doubt that the cameras will not be abused and that there is any justification for their purchase at this time.
For instance, have our police demonstrated care for their radios and equipment? I think research will show that the police force has an abysmal record when it comes to the care and protection of evidential material so critical in our justice system. How then do we expect an overnight transformation regarding evidence obtained from body cameras?
It is not a lack of equipment that makes our police force apparently incompetent, so throwing money at it is not only a waste but will not address the real problem — the lack of a well-trained and professional outfit. Why not fix this problem by improving training standards and enforcement of discipline first, and then equip later? Are we about to equip our police force with body cameras in the vain expectation that its deeply embedded weaknesses will suddenly disappear with the help of technology, and public confidence in the police force will magically be restored?
This is just not a logical decision, and smacks of political gimmickry.
Did the push by the JCF to be provided with anti-gang legislation result in any breakthroughs in stemming the tide of the ever-increasing number of gangs in Jamaica? What do we sincerely expect to gain from these body cameras?
Colonel Allan Douglas
alldouglas@aol.com
Reports in the local media on the purchase of 120 body cameras for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have been greeted by some as a positive step in bringing our police in line with a modern-day law enforcement unit. Unfortunately, I cannot join in the applause meted out by many at the expenditure associated with this purchase.
My inability to share the glee that greeted this announcement has to do with the fact that the JCF has not proved it is capable of handling body cameras or caring for them. I seriously doubt that the cameras will not be abused and that there is any justification for their purchase at this time.
For instance, have our police demonstrated care for their radios and equipment? I think research will show that the police force has an abysmal record when it comes to the care and protection of evidential material so critical in our justice system. How then do we expect an overnight transformation regarding evidence obtained from body cameras?
It is not a lack of equipment that makes our police force apparently incompetent, so throwing money at it is not only a waste but will not address the real problem — the lack of a well-trained and professional outfit. Why not fix this problem by improving training standards and enforcement of discipline first, and then equip later? Are we about to equip our police force with body cameras in the vain expectation that its deeply embedded weaknesses will suddenly disappear with the help of technology, and public confidence in the police force will magically be restored?
This is just not a logical decision, and smacks of political gimmickry.
Did the push by the JCF to be provided with anti-gang legislation result in any breakthroughs in stemming the tide of the ever-increasing number of gangs in Jamaica? What do we sincerely expect to gain from these body cameras?
Colonel Allan Douglas
alldouglas@aol.com