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Polygraph testing to move to the public sector soon

Published:Thursday | January 27, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Senator Dwight Nelson (right), minister of national security, unveils a plaque at the official opening of the JCF's polygraph unit while looking on (from left) are Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni, EU ambassador; Howard Drake, British high commissioner; Stephen Hallihan, Canadian high commissioner, and Owen Ellington, commissioner of police, at the Jamaica Police Academy, Twickenham Park, yesterday.- photo by rudolph brown

Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer

The Government could soon expand the use of polygraph testing to weed out corruption in the public sector.

National Security Minister Dwight Nelson yesterday announced that similar to the police, officials in the public sector could soon be exposed to polygraph testing, more commonly referred to as lie-detector tests.

"All sensitive posts in the public sector are to be subject to vetting, not just the police or the sake of promotion," said Nelson at the opening of the new Polygraph Unit at the Police Academy in Twickenham Park, St Catherine.

For years, Jamaica has been bedevilled by unimpressive reflection on the Corruption Perception Index.

Much of the corruption is believed to be rife in the public sector.

"Polygraphs are a common part of criminal investigation as and background checks," said Nelson.

At the same time, Assistant Police Commissioner Justin Felice disclosed that the region is contemplating setting up a centre of excellence for polygraph testing, an idea which Nelson vociferously embraced.

Nelson's comment comes as head of the Anti-Corruption Branch, Assistant Commissioner of Police Felice, disclosed that 389 polygraph tests were conducted on members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force in 2010.

Felice revealed that the exercises, aimed at tackling corruption, were carried out by three internationally accredited experts out of the JCF.

"All officers, barring none, have been tested by polygraph," asserted Felice. "This ensures that the right persons are promoted."

Felice suggested that there would be need for mobile polygraph facilities to prevent persons assigned outside the Corporate Area from having to travel into Kingston to get tested.