ANTI-CORRUPTION A MAJOR FOCUS OF JCF IN 2009

BY: LESLINE GILZENE

Acting Commissioner of Police, Owen Ellington (left) congratulates the 2009 LASCO Top Cop of the year, Constable Donohue Crossman of the Kingston Eastern Division. Constable Donohue was chosen from nine national finalists.

Corruption prevention activities were a major focus of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) this year, in keeping with the zero tolerance approach by Government to corrupt acts within the force and the wider public. 

In the First Supplementary Expenditure, tabled on September 22, a sum of $500 million was allocated to strengthen the capabilities of the JCF’s Anti-Corruption Branch.

By November 27, 60 police had been arrested for breaches under the Corruption Prevention Act, including a member caught with marijuana.

Acting Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington, who took up office in November, urged the police to keep up action to weed out cops engaged in criminal acts. “The good, professional, honest, decent policemen and women can no longer carry the burden of shame for those members, who choose to involve themselves in criminal activities,” he stated.

One major anti-corruption initiative was the launch of the 1800-CORRUPT toll free line in January.

The initiative allows citizens to report corrupt acts without fear of being exposed and to provide an independent, secure, and anonymous telephone line through which members of the force, customs department and the general public, may relay information or intelligence on corrupt practices, in which members of these and other agencies may be engaged.

All calls that are made to 1800-CORRUPT are sanitised, and thereafter forwarded to a dedicated point of contact within the Anti-corruption Branch. The anti-corruption toll free line is a partnership involving the JCF, Crime Stoppers International and LIME.

In keeping with anti-corruption efforts, the Police Public Complaint Authority (PPCA) established a contact point in St. Elizabeth in February. This office will be opened every Thursday from 10:00 am to 2:00pm and will be used to carry out investigations on complaints made against the police.

The PPCA is an independent body set up by Government, and staffed by civilians, to investigate complaints made against members of the JCF. It also provides supervision on investigations carried out by the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI), and the Police Complaints Division.

The JCF recorded major strides in crime fighting last year with the capture and indicting of 50 per cent of persons featured on the 2008 police most wanted list for serious crimes such as murders and shootings.

The success was attributed to a number of training initiatives under Kingfish and the Major Investigation Task Force (MIT), which expanded its operations from the corporate area to other troubled spots such as St. James, Clarendon and St. Catherine.

With the move, the investigation of gun-related murders was improved and police personnel were exposed to improved investigation techniques.

In July of this year, the Minister of National Security, Senator the Hon. Dwight Nelson announced that murders fell by 10 per cent between January 1 and July 3 compared to the corresponding period in 2008. 

Carnal abuse was down 23 per cent, rape dropped by 24 per cent, while there was a three per cent increase in shootings.

Ananda Alert Programme

One success story for the year was the launch of the Ananda Alert programme in May, which is a multi-agency initiative to reunite missing children with their families.

Under the programme, when a child goes missing, a report is made to the nearest police station or by calling 119. The police will then alert all stakeholders including media houses, mobile companies, local authorities, and parish councils, and these entities will, in turn, mobilise community groups.

After 12 hours, photos of the missing child will be placed on electronic/mobile billboards, in shops, supermarkets, community centres, church halls, schools and post offices. A website, www.anandaalertjm.com, has been launched, where information on missing children is available, in addition to information on how to file a report.

Of the 82 children, who were reported missing from their homes up to August, 44 were successfully reunited with their families. The number includes 14 teenagers, who had gone missing during the months of February, April and July of this year.

Community Policing

Community policing initiatives, were also strengthened as a part of an important strategy in creating a modernised the security force and addressing crime and violence.

In February, citizens were given the chance to work closely with members of the JCF when the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) launched its 2009 peace campaign. The two-month campaign, which got underway with a peace day rally in early March also included a public education campaign, entertainer and media manager’s forum, a march for peace, a concert and various community activities.

Cop of the Year

One of the most anticipated events of each year is the naming of the LASCO top cop.

Constable Donohue Crossman of the Kingston Eastern Division, who has been a member of the force for six years, was won coveted award, walking away with $200,000 and the LASCO/JCF trophy.