Bunting calls for probe into special police squad reportedly bullying Portmore residents
Published:Friday | January 24, 2025 | 12:11 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
Senator Peter Bunting, the opposition spokesman on national security, has called for a thorough investigation into reports of a special police squad accused of intimidating residents in Portmore, St Catherine.
Bunting, who toured police districts and stations in St Catherine East Central on Wednesday, highlighted a seemingly troubling pattern of behaviour by the squad, which operates outside the zones it targets.
“In a number of communities, we kept getting reports of operational teams from outside the zones. In particular, we kept getting reports of a particular district constable who has what I would describe as having a fascist approach to policing,” Bunting said.
The squad, reportedly linked to multiple police fatal shootings, is accused of instilling fear among residents.
A recent case that has drawn attention is the killing of 23-year-old Richard Thomas. The police claim that Thomas confronted officers with a Glock pistol, but his family disputes this, alleging that he was unarmed and was murdered.
“This is the type of action that undermines the professional police officers who, day and night, are doing a good job to build trust,” Bunting stated. “It only takes one suspicious fatal shooting to undermine all the work that dedicated police officers have done.”
Bunting urged the Police High Command and the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) to probe the squad’s operations, which he said threatens fragile progress in crime reduction.
The St Catherine South Police Division has recorded a surge in violent crimes, with nine murders up to January 18, compared to three over the corresponding period last year.
“Sustainable success in reducing crime is going to be based on trust in the police by the citizens,” Bunting stressed. “We are calling on the authorities to ensure that this operational team, seemingly always present with this district constable ... is held accountable.”
The senator also criticised the Government’s spending on national security, claiming that billions have been wasted with little to show for it.
“The fact is, billions of dollars have been spent by this administration on national security, and there is very little to show for it. One year, they had a budget of close to $20 billion, which represented more than twice the budget I had in four years,” Bunting said.
“With this type of money, we would have brought crime down much lower today. We spent the little we had and got better results,” he concluded.
He vowed to prioritise the use of AI-driven CCTV systems under a People’s National Party administration to enhance community security while minimising costs.