Ready to act

Nadisha Hunter, Staff Reporter

PUBLIC DEFENDER Earl Witter yesterday signalled that he would be willing to intervene in the incident involving the dismissal of a woman days before she was set to graduate from the Jamaica Police Academy.

The woman was discharged after revealing that she was pregnant.

Witter said he could not give a formal response, however, as he needed time to go through the Police Service Regulations.

"If the complainant did care to seek our assistance, then I should be prepared to intervene and investigate her complaint," he said.

The Gleaner reported yesterday that the woman was served with a dismissal letter one day before graduation last Friday after she informed her superiors of her status.

The dismissal letter read: "You are hereby given notice that you are dismissed from the Jamaica Constabulary Force under Regulation 24 (b) subsection (a) of the Police Service Regulations 1961, that is to say, you are likely to become an inefficient constable due to the following reasons:

"You failed to disclose critical and material information to the organisation during your period of November 29, 2010, to April 4, 2011."

Some women's groups have hit out against the decision to deny the woman the opportunity of graduating.

According to them, the decision breached the individual's human rights.

According to Women's Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC), The Jamaica Constabulary Force Service Regulations of 1961 need to be revised.

"This regulation by the police force is in direct contradiction of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which was signed by the Jamaican Government in 1984 with the United Nations," WROC argued.

The Bureau of Women's Affairs also took issue with the incident.

"If she was dismissed because of her pregnancy, which is linked to her sex, then it is a clear case of discrimination both as outlined in the Charter of Rights, as well as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women," Jennifer Williams, director of policy and research at the bureau, argued.