ANNOYED by what it describes as unprofessional practices and inadequate investigative procedures by the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) and the Professional Standards Branch (PSB), human rights watchdog, Jamaicans for Justice has renewed its call for an independent body to be set up to investigate police excesses.

“Jamaicans For Justice has a number of concerns with the inefficiencies, unprofessional conduct and repeated failures of these bodies. We contend that, functioning as they currently do, they prove a major disadvantage to the effectiveness of the justice system and the realisation of justice for Jamaican citizens,” the report stated.

The BSI and PSB are arms of the constabulary set up to investigate improper conduct among its ranks.

The call comes days after police recanted from their original report and admitted that contrary to earlier reports of a shoot-out, Constable Mark Haughton was cut down by friendly fire during an operation in Payne Land, St Andrew last month. Ballistic tests proved that the bullet removed from Haughton’s back was fired by a member of the security forces.

The JFJ said this is not the first time that the police fabricated a story after a fatal shooting and cited several cases in their report. They also suggested that the BSI had not conducted the proper investigations into most fatal shootings.

The report cited failures or delays in visiting fatal shooting scenes resulting in the loss of vital evidence; the lack of preservation of crime scenes such as premature removal of bodies, spent shells and disturbing evidence; failure to collect evidence such as clothing and statements from material witnesses; failure to properly document the results of post-mortem examinations, and the loss of vital evidence prior to trial, as the main areas where the BSI was not living up to its mandate.

The report pointed to the fatal shootings of two elderly men, taxi driver David Bacchas, 63; and his passenger Cecil Brown, 65; in October 2003 at Flanker, St James and 13-year-old Janice Allen in Kingston, as examples.

The civilian staffed Police Public Complaints Authority (PPCA), set up to probe alleged cases of misconduct filed by the public against members of the constabulary, also came under fire from the human rights group, who described the authority as powerless.

“The PPCA’s act gives the authority no power to initiate action; it can only make recommendations to the police commissioner or the Director of Public Prosecutions based on the findings of its investigations. Neither the police commissioner or the DPP is obliged to report to the PPCA on actions taken or any actions at all,” the report said.