THE government is scheduled to meet Monday with the leadership of the police and the army to discuss efforts to deal with current levels of violence, as well as the growing incidences of police abuse.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Minister of National Security Derrick Smith will head the new administration’s team at the meeting with Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, and Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas.

At the same time, Jamaica House said yesterday that the prime minister has given instructions for work to proceed immediately towards the establishment of a single independent authority to investigate instances of abuses by members of the security forces.

Prime Minister Golding, a Jamaica House statement said, gave the instructions following a meeting Wednesday with the chief parliamentary counsel, representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne and the solicitor general, Michael Hylton.

“The prime minister has expressed concern at the increasing number of incidents involving allegations of abuse and unlawful conduct by members of the security forces towards members of the public,” said the Jamaica House statement.

Prime Minister Golding said the government was well aware of the dangerous and stressful circumstances in which the police are required to work and promised to support their efforts, as long as they do not breach the constitutional rights of the people.

“Indeed, 11 policemen have been murdered and another 34 shot and injured since the start of the year,” the prime minister said. “The government will do everything possible to strengthen and support the police in combating crime and in the lawful execution of their duties,” said Golding.

However, he said this cannot be at the expense of the constitutional rights of the people.

The government’s concern comes against a growing number of incidents in which residents have accused the police of brutality in carrying out their duties.

Just this week a 19-year-old pregnant woman died in St Thomas as residents of Hampstead engaged the police in an effort to set up a roadblock to protest against a previous police killing.

On Monday, Golding told a press briefing at Jamaica House that he and Lightbourne would be meeting with representatives of the Attorney General’s Department and the chief parliamentary counsel to discuss ways to proceed on specific legislative commitments his government had made. These include the independent authority to monitor police abuses, as well as the appointment of a prosecutor general to take action against persons in public life who are accused of corruption.

In the meantime, human rights watchdog, Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ), yesterday welcomed government’s plan to introduce a single independent body to investigate abuses by the security forces. “We absolutely welcome the decision,” said Carolyn Gomes, executive director of JFJ.

Gomes, who said police excesses had got out of hand, suggested that the proposed authority should be civilian-headed and staffed and should not be a part of either the police or army.

“The problem has got out of hand and the instances have been escalating exponentially since the last three years,” Gomes told the Observer.