ST JAMES, Jamaica – In the wake of a female cop being placed behind bars following a judge’s order earlier this year, Chairman of the Jamaica Police Federation, Sergeant Raymond Wilson is calling on the Chief Justice to establish a Judicial Code of Conduct to keep judges’ behaviour in check.

“We are publicly calling on the Chief Justice to develop and publish a Judicial Code of Conduct to guide and hold judges accountable,” Wilson said.

He went further, “But while you guide and hold judges accountable, public Jamaica would know that such a document exists and can refer to it in defence of their rights when judges who believe that because they are sitting on the bench they can treat you like you are dogs- because that’s the reality”.

He claimed that a judge sitting on the bench at the Brown’s Town RM Court, wrongfully ordered that Woman Corporal Watson McKenzie be placed in custody in February.

But to date he rues that the Judicial Service Commission has allowed the judge to continue to work with impunity, to the ire of the Police.

“All we are asking for is fairness, equity and balance. If the judge do something wrong, then we expect that the Act must take its course. The Judicial Service Commission must act and the Judicial Service Regulation must take its course. We are making a public appeal for the levying of the appropriate sanction on the RM in Brown’s Town similar to our police officers who breach the right of any ordinary citizens would be sanctioned,” Sergeant Wilson said. 

“We want justice. We are calling on the chief justice of Jamaica to act. We want justice Madam Chief Justice to act. In February of this year a judge sitting on her bench in Brown’s Town ordered that Woman Corporal Watson McKenzie be placed in custody and notwithstanding that she knew that there was only one cell that already had two male prisoners in it. She not only insisted, but she gave instructions to have senior court staff to go and supervise the process.”

Sergeant Wilson was addressing the Jamaica Police Federation 72nd Annual Joint Central Conferences at the Hilton Rose Hall and Spa last week.

HORACE HINES