IN the past decade, some 1,500 persons have been killed by the police, but in none of these cases has a cop been convicted of murder or manslaughter. Local human rights activists Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ) wants to know why, and has reported the matter to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in hopes of prompting an investigation.

JFJ has in the past taken controversial cases to IACHR for its intervention, notably the Michael Gayle and Janice Allen cases. Gayle was beaten to death by the security forces and Allen, 13, was shot in the back, allegedly by a cop.

“We have subsequently used the system of hearings to bring to the commission a report of our own called ‘Pattern of Impunity’, which brings together what we have learnt from our own work over the six years of the systematic impediments that lead to a pattern of impunity…” said JFJ executive director Carolyn Gomes.

“Despite the death of 1,500 of our citizens at the hands of the police over the last 10 years, there have been no convictions of policemen charged with murder, manslaughter, use of excessive force or unlawful action.”

Gomes’ comments came yesterday while addressing a legal education seminar attended by some 20 lawyers at the Norman Manley Law School at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

The JFJ’s appeal to IACHR on behalf of Michael Gayle resulted in government agreeing, said Gomes, to a friendly settlement meeting which began in January 2004 and ended March.

The JFJ executive director said since the hearing, correspondence has twice been exchanged between government and the commission. The preliminary decision on the merits of the case has also been shared with government.

A final decision of the commission is pending as to whether to make its Merits Ruling public.

Jamaica Bar Association president Arlene Harrison-Henry, who also addressed the forum, pointed to a shortage of coroners, saying it was unbelievable that just one coroner was assigned to Kingston, causing backlogs.

A lawyer suggested that the bar association must be uncomfortable with the level of police killing of citizens, which he submitted was even at some stages more than that of criminal killings.

He called on the bar association to set up an investigation committee to look into the matter and make recommendations to the police commissioner on how best to prevent this “slaughter of decent citizens”.

Harrison-Henry responded that the system was loaded with crisis and frustration.

“It is almost as if the entire system is stacked against the prosecution of police officers, so yes, there is need for intervention. We have to find some positive measures to deal with that.”

whytetk@jamaicaobserver.com