‘Top priority’
Faulkner wants Gov’t to place greater importance on acquisition, use of bodycams by JCF members
Published:Friday | November 17, 2023 | 12:12 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
COMMISSIONER OF the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom) Hugh Faulkner wants the Government to make the acquisition of body-worn cameras for security forces a priority, arguing that this equipment is a critical part of any modern law enforcement workforce and aids significantly in the process of justice and investigation.
“We believe this should be a top priority for the law-enforcement bodies if we are seeking to create a Jamaica that’s safe, secure, and just. And we believe the body-worn cameras play a significant role in the process of justice,” he said in a Gleaner interview.
Data from the agency revealed that 119 civilians have been fatally shot by agents of the State over the period January to October 2023.
A further 86 people have been shot and injured by security forces between January and October this year.
However, Indecom reports that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has only produced evidence in a single case where a body-worn camera was used during a shooting.
“We can say that in terms of the fatal shootings, up to November first, there was no incident that the body-worn cameras were in action,” Faulkner told The Gleaner.
Indecom has also disclosed that a number of these shooting incidents happened during planned police operations, and no officer was trained or equipped or in possession of a body-worn camera at the time.
Speaking at Wednesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing, Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang, while noting that body-worn cameras are “high-cost items”, told journalists that “the priority is to provide the police force in adequate numbers – something that used to be the first call by many who now ask for bodycam”.
He said a significant amount of resources have been expended to boost the security force, upgrade their equipment, and improve working conditions.
HIGH-COST EQUIPMENT
“Those are a part of it, and, therefore, the bodycam is a small part of that operation. They are high-cost items, just as the requirement for digital equipment for the traffic enforcement department are high-cost items,” he said. “You look at what is required to achieve better order and protect the lives of the citizens.”
In his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in April, Chang announced that at least 400 body-worn cameras had been deployed to members of the JCF.
He also stated that the Government would be acquiring another 1,000 body-worn cameras during the current fiscal year.
Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Technology, Leonardo Brown, told The Gleaner that the police are in the process of procuring the additional 1,000 body-worn cameras, which should be available by March next year.
He also noted that 534 body-worn cameras have been deployed across 20 locations islandwide.
But Faulkner emphasised that the use of body-worn cameras by security forces can be beneficial in building trust in the security forces.
“The law-enforcement officers can vindicate their own actions when it is captured on a body-worn camera, or CCTV for that matter, and the public can also have an accurate capture of whatever transpired between themselves and the security forces,” he said. “You remove speculative concerns, you remove doubt and you add a bit more clarity.”