There needs to be an immediate reorganization of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) which is the main body responsible for policing in Jamaica. Jamaica is a small Caribbean island of just over 2.5 million people and it’s known to have one of the worst murder rates in the world which is primarily as a result of gang activity and the JCF is not making any progress to put an end to this heart wrenching problem. Unlawful killings and corruption by police officers in Jamaica are two other major problems that the JCF fails to tackle. Many Jamaicans have been victims of unlawful deaths which were ordered by, or carried out in the presence of, high ranking police officers. Corruption results in the failure of the Government to protect people in inner city communities from gangs and police violence. Heads of the JCF need to go back to the drawing board and lay out new policies and programs so as to ensure for effective policing to wipe out criminal gangs, corruption within the police force and unlawful killings in Jamaica.

Most organized gangs in Jamaica are located in the inner city neighborhoods, where people are generally poverty stricken and unemployed. These neighborhoods are generally abandoned by police forces and the society at large and as such gang leaders tend to control the lives of people living there. They collect taxes, distribute jobs, food and punish those who disobey or break gang rules. Men and young boys are at the greatest risk of violence as they are the ones who are mostly targeted by gang members for recruitment in criminal gangs. These men and young boys also have to follow orders which involve carrying out special tasks which they cannot refuse to do as they fear what might be done to themselves and their families. There was a situation where one woman told Amnesty International that her neighbor’s 12-year-old son was sent by a gang to deliver a gun to another community. The boy was robbed on his way and he knew he was going to be killed if he went back empty handed so he ran away. His mother was killed the following morning. Many women in these communities are also affected by gangs .They have to involuntarily engage in sexual activities with members of the gangs, if they don’t they risk themselves and members of their family dying. Most women in these inner city communities are also single parents as the father of their child was victim of gang violence.

“Informer fi dead”, this is a phrase use in Jamaica which states that anyone who inform on another should die. Residents who witness gang killings in their communities are afraid to go to the cops because they know that there’s a great chance that they are going to be killed. This shows how greatly affected and feared people are of criminal gangs.

In 2006 the JCF recorded a 15% overall reduction in major crimes. However although this is a great reduction in crime in just one year one has to question the validity of the source. This statistics was presented by the JCF itself and who to tell that it wasn’t blown out of proportion or just a mere scam just to get on the good side of the Jamaican people knowing it’s bad track records. This may proved to be not so much of an achievement by the JCF after all.



Most Jamaicans, including myself, believes that the majority of police officers are corrupt. Many residents of inner city communities believe that on numerous occasions police officers were directly involve in criminal activities. There were numerous cases where people would relay information to the police and they were killed before the police even reach the community. Many believed that corrupt officers told the gang leaders who the informers were .The actions of corrupt cops who leak information to criminals add to the resistance of many to provide helpful information to the security forces because by revealing information people’s lives are put at risk and as such it has become very difficult to break the vicious cycle of crime and police involvement .In the 2006 Road Map to a Safe and Secure Jamaica which is a report of the Special task Force on Crime in Jamaica reported that JCF personnel of different ranks expressed the view that majority of their senior officers were corrupt or tolerated corruption within the force. Some of the other corrupt practices of police officers include selling gun licenses and ammunition, dropping charges for serious offences and removing or tampering with evidence.


It was reported by the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper that in the beginning of 2006, police personnel were involve in unlawful activities such as the infamous 'lottery scam', which has been blamed for an increase in recent murders across Jamaica, drug dealing and a most embarrassing incident in which a police vest, which was not reported missing, was found in the hands of a criminal. The Jamaica Gleaner once wrote about a cop who confessed that he was corrupted for the first 18 years of his 20 years in the force."My introduction to corruption came about two weeks after graduating from the Police Academy," admits the police officer. "A woman constable and I were detailed for a 12 to six mobile patrol duty along with an acting corporal, who is now a superintendent of police," the 20-year veteran confesses to The Sunday Gleaner. He continued: "The acting corporal drove a nice car, was outspoken and very popular. He had about nine years service and boasted of many accomplishments. He made it clear that nothing was wrong with making money, but we simply had to know how to do it."This is very saddening because the one institution which was established to provide security and protection to citizens is very untrustworthy and unreliable.




The stated values of the JCF is, “We serve, protect and reassure with courtesy, integrity and proper respect for the rights of all”, but this is both a misrepresentation of the overall operations of the JCF and the way in which the public view the police. The JCF tends to operate by command and control. It promotes prejudice which involves police officers distancing themselves from particular communities which creates a fear among the general public. This has also lead to the failure of the police to protect people in gang violence prone communities. People who live in these areas are usually discriminated against. There is a particular stigma that is associated with communities where gang violence is rampant. Police tend to treat everyone in the community as criminal and police abuse and violence tends to be very common.

Unlawful killings otherwise known as extrajudicial executions within the police force are very typical. The Bureau of Special Investigation reported that between 2000 and 2007, 1422 people were killed and a further 1115 were injured by police in Jamaica making it one of the highest rates of police killings in the Americas. Victims of police cruelty commonly include criminal suspects and their relatives, as well as children and women. Harsh treatments have included beatings, and mock executions. Another incident reported by the Jamaica Observer newspaper in March of 2008 talked about a cop who allegedly shot a 10 year old child and is still on the run to this date. Constable Walter Spikes who was accused of killing the child as he chased a youth on foot, who was smoking a ganja spliff in a nearby market, left the island before a warrant was issued for his arrest. The ex-cop allegedly fired his weapon at the drug offender but the bullet hit young Renee instead. Renee died on the spot from a single bullet wound to the back of the head.

“On September 30, 2009 Police Commissioner, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, said that efforts are being made to change the face of policing in Jamaica, to one where there is greater respect and partnership between the police and citizens ” as reported by the Jamaica Information Service. However within less than 3 months on November 3, 2009 the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper reported that Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin had stepped down from his post has Police Commissioner. The question which is now asked by many is what about all those changes that were supposed to happen under his management, who will ensure that greater respect and partnership between police and citizens becomes a reality? With the JCF now without a police commissioner how can one expect for changes and progress and for things to run effectively and efficiently.



The condition within the JCF can be fixed with the establishment of an independent body of investigation, with the right kind of leadership and with the full cooperation of key police officers and other respected individuals. This independent body would be responsible for monitoring and overseeing police actions and misconduct and to ensure that the JCF is operating effectively. The Anti Corruption Unit of the JCF needs to implement more effective and efficient plans to combat corruption. The police federation must become more aggressive and begin to get rid of the corrupt cops from its ranks. There also needs to be an expansion of a counter –gang task force which will have as its main responsibility the identification and pursuit of gangsters. There also needs to be a more secure witness protection program so people can be less fearful to report crime which they witness. Many people fear reporting crimes because they know that they will not be protected and as such they would be victims of brutal deaths. There’s a great distrust of citizens towards police officers. I believe that the JCF should set up an agency to build bonds and trust between police and citizens. The Jamaica Constabulary Force also needs to retrain police in the rightful use of firearms and other weapons so as to prevent unlawful killings and deaths of innocent people. With these changes within the Jamaica Constabulary Force and implementations of new policies, gang activity, corruption and unlawful killings will reduce drastically.