Blake to JFJ: Focus on criminals, not relevance

Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has rejected Jamaicans for Justice’s (JFJ) criticisms over the high rate of fatal police shootings, arguing that the rights group is misguided and seeking relevance.

In a video statement released on Friday, Blake said he "strongly" supports the view that the number of fatal shootings is "too high" but insisted that the blame should be directed at criminals who engage security forces with deadly force.

"The call is wrongly directed and should be aiming at those who make the decision to challenge a far more superior force,” said Blake, adding: "I call upon JFJ to demonstrate to the public that your care is more for the well-being of our citizens and less for the relevance of your organisation".

The commissioner’s comments come a day after JFJ issued a statement warning that Jamaica is at risk of reverting to the "dark days" when police accountability was weak. It pointed to 50 fatal police shootings up to February 20, a 163 per cent increase over the 19 during the first two months of 2024.

“This represents an unacceptable and troubling trend that threatens Jamaica’s democratic principles and human rights advancements,” JFJ Executive Director Mickel Jackson stated on Thursday. The organization also raised concerns about the lack of body-worn camera footage in many of these fatal encounters.

Blake, however, dismissed any suggestion that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is not being held accountable, arguing that every police shooting is subject to multiple layers of oversight, including immediate administrative review and investigations by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), which probes police killings.

He further rejected JFJ’s stance that fatal encounters could be significantly reduced by increased police accountability and reforms. Instead, he pointed to the unwillingness of criminals to surrender peacefully as the primary reason for these deadly confrontations.

“To suggest that fatal shooting numbers can be reduced by anything other than the unwillingness of persons being apprehended to engage in deadly confrontation with members of the security forces is irresponsible, or at best, advocating for us to relent in our pursuit,” Blake argued. “We again reiterate the point that those who seek to kill and maim will not be left free and unobstructed to hold communities at ransom and in constant fear.”

The commissioner stressed that there are many instances of suspects who chose not to fight and were arrested without incident. “We have had well over 1,000 firearm-related arrests each year. Persons have had their day in court and have, in some instances, been freed of the charges against them. They have all lived to see another day, simply because they chose not to direct deadly force against our members.”

Blake also pointed out that police officers and soldiers have been killed and seriously injured in confrontations, underscoring the dangers of law enforcement work.

Regarding INDECOM’s concerns about the lack of body-worn camera footage, Blake denied the suggestion that the force is obstructing investigations.

“I’m concerned that the JFJ supports the idea that INDECOM’s investigation is being hampered because we do not have body-worn camera footage to present to them, even while they have more than 60% of what is required to complete an investigation. And this includes statements from our members who are involved, ballistic information, reports on the circumstances surrounding the case, and primacy over the scene.”

INDECOM has expressed concern that the body-worn cameras were not being used in planned police operations.

Blake insisted that the JCF would not back down in its fight against violent criminals. “We will continue to use our superior intelligence gathering capabilities. We will continue to utilize our superior investigative capacity. We will use our superior operational capabilities and we will go out and confront those who seek to destabilize our communities by wielding the threat of violence and terror.”

Earlier this week National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang dismissed concerns about extrajudicial police killings. Chang maintained that the JCF is now a more intelligence-driven organization that builds cases against criminals before taking action against them.

"It’s not a hit squad we have here. That’s [a] thing of the past," Chang said. "[It’s a] structure that identifies individuals who are involved in criminal activities and build the files around them."

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