Full Text | Police High Command defends reprimand against interdicted federation chairman

The Police High Command says members of the constabulary force have a responsibility to refrain from actions that breach established rules, regulations, and Force Orders and bring the organisation into disrepute.

It says transgressions of these standards are treated with the appropriate seriousness.

Chairman of the Jamaica Police Federation Corporal Rohan James has been interdicted following strong statements he made against the Police High Command at a recent funeral.

In a letter dated July 26 and obtained by The Gleaner, James was cited for remarks made on July 15 and after a probe, disciplinary action was recommended. 

Responding to criticisms, the high command says James' statements were found to contravene the force's rules, regulations, and Force Orders, and were viewed as disrespectful and unprofessional.

Full Statement

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) High Command is obliged to issue this statement pertaining to the recent events surrounding the Chairman of the Police Federation, Corporal Rohan James.

The High Command is committed to preserving the right to free speech of all its members.

Yet, it remains imperative that such freedoms are exercised in line with the established rules, regulations, and Force Orders to ensure the maintenance of the Force's professionalism, integrity, and honour. On July 15, 2023, at a funeral service for a deceased Constable, several comments were made by Mr. James, which became the subject of an internal investigation by the Inspectorate Professional Standards Oversight Bureau (IPROB).

Preliminary findings from this inquiry suggest that his statements were found to contravene JCF Rules, Regulations, and Force Orders, and were viewed as disrespectful, unprofessional, unfitting of his office and rank, thereby potentially bringing the JCF into disrepute.

Following the guidelines of our established protocols, Corporal James has been served with multiple charges and is slated to appear before a Court of Enquiry. During the course of these procedures, he will be placed on interdiction.

We hold the view that it is essential to uphold the confidentiality of the Force's internal procedures to secure fair and unbiased dealings. However, given that the matter has been made public, it has become necessary to communicate this information.

The JCF stands firm in its commitment to protect the integrity of our organization and the trust placed in us by the public. Every member of our Force is held to the highest standards, and any transgression from these standards is treated with the appropriate seriousness.

In the course of the investigation and any proceedings that follow, there will be no public commentary from the JCF on these matters, as we do not wish to argue this case in the public sphere.

The JCF stands firm in its pledge to maintain the highest levels of conduct within our ranks. We persist in our commitment to serving the public with utmost dedication, professionalism, and integrity.

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