Kingston and Montego Bay Need Gov’t. Mortuaries – ACP Green

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), in charge of the Serious and Organised Crime Branch, Les Green, has expressed the need for a Government mortuary to be established in Kingston, as well as in Montego Bay, St. James.
Speaking with JIS News, following an ‘Off the Record’ monthly press rap session hosted by the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ), at its headquarters in Kingston, yesterday (Oct. 9), ACP Green said that the mortuaries would enable the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), “to forensically investigate any sudden death or any violent attack, which has resulted in death.”
“We need to have x-ray machines and other facilities available at the mortuaries to secure the best evidence available,” he added.
ACP Green further noted that the mortuary at the Spanish Town Hospital is currently being utilised “where the Government pathologist undertakes the post mortem examinations.” The Assistant Commissioner of Police informed that other post mortem examinations are conducted at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
This was the second in a series of monthly rap sessions, and according to the Executive Director of the PAJ, Hylton Dennis, it gives key stakeholders, in both the private and public sectors, “an opportunity to have a very relaxed dialogue with the press where important information that may not be divulged during recorded sessions, would be divulged that helps our understanding of important issues, so that our reporting on these issues can improve.”
He stressed that it also builds a level of trust that is important to the work of the journalist.
“People have different perceptions of the media, we want a uniformed perception of the media as being trustworthy, reliable, and interested in the truth, interested in playing the role that we are supposed to play as the oxygen of democracy, guardians of important freedoms that we are depended on to be,” Mr. Dennis emphasised.
The Executive Director further informed that PAJ, also has another initiative – “Meet the Press”, that will commence soon. He explained that this will be a recorded “conference-type” event, “so we will identify an individual and that individual will come in for a press conference and we will talk around a particular issue that that individual can enlighten us fully on.”
ACP Green and Chief of Defence Staff, of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Major General Stewart Saunders, were the specially invited guests for the session.