Save INDECOM!

By Jaevion Nelson

There is an orgy of police abuse and extrajudicial killings in Jamaica, according to reports. The airwaves are often littered with the cries of people pleading for justice because a loved one - usually relative, partner or friend - was allegedly killed by the police.

Last month, Mountain View, one of the many inner-city communities in the Corporate Area, erupted into a state of disorder subsequent to the killing of a 19-year-old male by the police. More than a year ago, June 2012 to be exact, there was a similar incident involving another young male who, ironically, was a member of the Police Youth Club in the community.

These stories are all too familiar, especially for people in Kingston, Clarendon and St Catherine, the parishes which account for the highest number of fatalities by the police. There are also cases like that of the 25-year-old pregnant woman in St Thomas, who was shot and killed last year during an altercation/confrontation with a policeman relating to the use of 'indecent language'.

I should preface this commentary by making it clear that I have the utmost respect for every Jamaican man and woman who has taken an oath to put his/her life on the front line to keep our communities safe. My intent here is to promote the crucial role of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) in the fight against crime and violence in our country.

According to a parliamentary report prepared by INDECOM this year, titled The Right to Life, about 200 persons are killed each year by the security forces. So, roughly, for every 27 persons who were murdered between 2009 and 2012, one person is allegedly killed extrajudicially.

HISTORY OF POLICE ABUSE

I grew up hearing a lot about police brutality. Every so often, people were on the news blocking the road to protest the killing of their loved ones by the police. It is frightening to think that seemingly not much have changed. In fact, some key opinion leaders apparently have an insatiable appetite for the lack of thorough investigations into these incidents and the impunity that some have enjoyed over the years - at least prior to 2010, when INDECOM was established.

Our parliamentarians must be commended for establishing an independent entity "to undertake investigations concerning actions by members of the security forces and other agents of the State that result in death or injury to persons or the abuse of the rights of persons; and for connected matters". However, as we laud them for doing so, we must be vigilant in ensuring that INDECOM is not stripped of its authority to play an integral role in guaranteeing the right to life of every Jamaican citizen.

Since its inception, INDECOM has presided over 1,600 cases related to fatal and non-fatal matters. Ninety-six per cent of their investigations are initiated within two hours of occurrence. This was not the case before when the already overworked security force was tasked to investigate itself. The role of INDECOM, therefore, cannot be overstated, given what is happening.

Why is this important? Why should you defend the life of so-called criminal elements who are wreaking havoc in our country? Why should you even care? As Terrence Williams, the head of INDECOM, said in the report, "The State must strive for everyone to know whether each killing was justified or not. A generally held feeling that agents of the state can act with impunity regardless of our most fundamental of rights will lead to mistrust and challenge the moral argument for the state's monopoly on the use of force. The credibility of a determination as to whether or not a killing was justified will come from public trust in the investigation and any prosecution or disciplinary hearing that might follow an investigation. The institutions so charged must be impartial, effective, open and act with all due dispatch."

It means, therefore, that every report of alleged extrajudicial killing must send the same kind of shock waves that across the nation as did the shooting of the pregnant youth in St Thomas in September 2012. Our duty as citizens is to ensure that every life is protected and that every killing, regardless of who the "perpetrator(s)" is and the innocence of the person(s) killed is thoroughly investigated.

Jaevion Nelson is a youth development, HIV and human-rights advocate. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and jaevion@gmail.com.