Law Passed to Establish Civilian Oversight Authority for JCF

The Bill establishing a civilian oversight authority to monitor the operations of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and its auxiliaries has been approved by the Upper House.

Information Minister Senator Burchell Whiteman who piloted the provision said the authority would provide a mechanism external to, and independent of the Force, to ensure accountability, adherence to policy guidelines and observance of proper policing standards by members of the Force, thereby engendering increased public confidence.

“It has been determined that the creation of a civilian oversight body would best meet this requirement in Jamaica,” he told colleagues, pointing out that the absence of a system for monitoring and ensuring accountability for the management and operations of the JCF had remained an area of acknowledged deficiency.

Senator Whiteman said while the Constabulary Force Act provided for an Inspectorate to monitor the performance of the Force to determine whether it was operating efficiently and effectively, the Inspectorate had not carried out its function due in part to a difficulty in identifying persons with suitable qualifications and knowledge of military type organizations.

Minister Whiteman said the call for some level of accountability to the public through an independent oversight body was appropriate.

Furthermore he said, Jamaica was not alone in its move to establish such an authority.

“We realize that these challenges are not unique to Jamaica but one of the accepted responses by other countries to these challenges has been the creation of oversight bodies to monitor and evaluate the performance of their respective police organizations,” he noted further.

Senator Whiteman however assured that the Authority would not interfere with the role of the Police Services Commission, which has the power to appoint, remove and generally exercise disciplinary control over police officers.

Furthermore he said it would not affect the operations of the Police Public Complaints Authority in addressing complaints made against members of the Force by the public.

In the meantime the authority will be empowered to monitor the use of financial and other resources made available to the JCF.

It will also have the power to enter premises occupied by the Force, require information and the production of documents and inspect and examine such documents.

Meanwhile, remarking on the provision, Opposition Senator Arthur Williams said the Opposition welcomed the attempt to establish an oversight authority as it was understood that a civilian authority was the best way to go.

The legislation also provides for the functions of the Authority; the appointment of members of the Authority by the Governor General, after consultation with the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition; and for an annual report to be made by the authority to the Minister.

It also serves to empower the authority where the need arises to refer matters to: the Police Services Commission, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, the Commissioner of Police, or the Minister for the appropriate action.