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Committee rejects suggestion to staff investigative authority with police officersALICIA DUNKLEY, Observer staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com
Saturday, October 04, 2008
THE Joint Select Committee of Parliament considering the bill to set up the Independent Commission of Investigation to probe abuses by the security forces, has rejected the notion of employing even retired police officers to staff the agency.
The bill seeks to repeal the Police Public Complaints Act to set up a Commission of Parliament, known as the Independent Commission of Investigations. The commission will investigate actions of 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.
On Wednesday Opposition committee member and former national security minister, Senator KD Knight, said he was uneasy with the suggestion which had come from Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Felice during a September meeting that the commission may have to use police personnel to probe corruption within the ranks until civilians are trained to do the job.
"Why pass the bill if we are going to have police investigating police?
My view is if you start with police investigators you will be muddying the waters and it will be extremely difficult to clean it up afterwards," Knight said.
He suggested instead that time be taken to employ and train persons who are not police officers to carry out the functions of the commission and that they be given police powers.
"If this body does not have the power to arrest and charge it is a paper tiger. So it must have the power to arrest, charge and investigate. When you are satisfied that you have a trained cadre of investigators you go ahead," he said.
Legal officer at the Independent Jamaican Council for Human Rights (IJCHR), Nancy Anderson - who was at the time making a submission to the committee - agreed with Knight.
"It is crucial that these investigators not be police officers, not even retired police officers. It is better that they are trained investigators who are independent of the people that they are investigating which is in most cases the police," she said.
According to Anderson "the commission must truly be independent of all the security forces and must have the power and resources to effectively deal with all complaints from the public if trust and cooperation in the fight against crime is to be realised".
In the meantime, she expressed concern that the bill did not mention anything about false imprisonment, harassment, discrimination, malice and disrespect by the police.
"That is the intent of the Bill," committee chair, Justice Minister and Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne, pointed out while noting that independent staffing would mean a further stretching of already meagre resources.
Last year there were over 200 fatal shootings involving the police.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...PS__PLEASE.asp
Saturday, October 04, 2008
THE Joint Select Committee of Parliament considering the bill to set up the Independent Commission of Investigation to probe abuses by the security forces, has rejected the notion of employing even retired police officers to staff the agency.
The bill seeks to repeal the Police Public Complaints Act to set up a Commission of Parliament, known as the Independent Commission of Investigations. The commission will investigate actions of 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.
On Wednesday Opposition committee member and former national security minister, Senator KD Knight, said he was uneasy with the suggestion which had come from Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Felice during a September meeting that the commission may have to use police personnel to probe corruption within the ranks until civilians are trained to do the job.
"Why pass the bill if we are going to have police investigating police?
My view is if you start with police investigators you will be muddying the waters and it will be extremely difficult to clean it up afterwards," Knight said.
He suggested instead that time be taken to employ and train persons who are not police officers to carry out the functions of the commission and that they be given police powers.
"If this body does not have the power to arrest and charge it is a paper tiger. So it must have the power to arrest, charge and investigate. When you are satisfied that you have a trained cadre of investigators you go ahead," he said.
Legal officer at the Independent Jamaican Council for Human Rights (IJCHR), Nancy Anderson - who was at the time making a submission to the committee - agreed with Knight.
"It is crucial that these investigators not be police officers, not even retired police officers. It is better that they are trained investigators who are independent of the people that they are investigating which is in most cases the police," she said.
According to Anderson "the commission must truly be independent of all the security forces and must have the power and resources to effectively deal with all complaints from the public if trust and cooperation in the fight against crime is to be realised".
In the meantime, she expressed concern that the bill did not mention anything about false imprisonment, harassment, discrimination, malice and disrespect by the police.
"That is the intent of the Bill," committee chair, Justice Minister and Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne, pointed out while noting that independent staffing would mean a further stretching of already meagre resources.
Last year there were over 200 fatal shootings involving the police.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...PS__PLEASE.asp
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