Acting Commissioner Wants Public Support to Root Out Bad Cops

Acting Commissioner of Police, Owen Ellington, is seeking public support for his efforts to root out corrupt members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
“I am pleading with members of the public to assist us in rooting out these individuals from among the ranks of force,” the Acting Commissioner told a press briefing at his office, Old Hope Road, Kingston, Thursday (December 3).
“Anything that you regard as inappropriate police behaviour, we are pleading with you to call us at the 1-800-corrupt number and report it,” Mr. Ellington said.
He added that the toll free number was a “very secure medium” for communicating with the JCF, as it has never been compromised and has proven to be a very successful way of getting intelligence and information on police who have crossed the line.
The briefing followed reports overnight that at least two policemen – one each from the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) – were allegedly caught protecting criminal elements involved in Wednesday’s gun battle between rival gangsters in Clarendon.
Mr. Ellington said that, based on the high command’s assessment of occurrences over the past two days, it appeared that a trend had developed in which criminal elements from the Corporate Area and St. Catherine, who run afoul of the law in rural parishes, have been recruiting armed police personnel to accompany them to court to face the charges.
“I think because of their criminal activities, they perceive a higher than normal level of threats on their lives and so they see the need to engage security,” he said.
“The regrettable aspect of this is that, policemen are making themselves available to provide armed coverage for some of these individuals, and that is exposing not just them to personal injury and death, but is also threatening to cause serious reputational damage to the Jamaica Constable Force,” the Acting Commissioner said.
He stated that the development was very disturbing to him, and he was seriously concerned about an apparent escalation in the number of police involved with the criminal gangs, and the serious reputational damage which it threatens.
“I am therefore issuing a warning to all members – policemen, policewomen, members of the JCF, the Island Special Constabulary Force or the rural police force – to stop associating themselves with criminals and armed gangs. And I am very serious about this,” he warned.
“I want to state categorically that, as long as I am in charge, I will use every lawful means at my disposal to find those individuals and get rid of them from the JCF, on the grounds that they have lost my confidence, as Commissioner, and they have lost the moral authority to continue serving the public,” he said.
He said that the Police High Command will make no distinction between police and criminal elements in pursuing police personnel who have become involved with criminal gangs.