BURNED by the controversial killing of a loved one, former police officer and now Deputy CEO of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency, Garth Williams, on Friday urged the Jamaica Constabulary Force to employ new measures in minimising instances of police excesses.

Williams, speaking at a graduation ceremony for participants of the New Accelerated Promotion Programme (NAPP), said that such a move is vital in winning the trust of the Jamaican people for members of the police force.

“One of our objectives is the restoration of public safety and confidence in the police. Where are we in achieving this objective?” Williams asked rhetorically of members of the police high command, other senior officers, and the 18 graduates and their families present at the ceremony.

“As a former police officer, I fully empathise with the challenges police officers face daily in policing this increasingly violent society,” Williams said. “But I am equally concerned about the frequency of the allegations of police excesses which erode public trust and confidence in the police.”

“In January of this year, for the first time in my life, I knew what it felt like to lose a loved one to violence. He was only 23 years old; a quiet, caring person, full of promise,” he said.

“But to make matters worse, I am also left to wonder about the truth of the circumstances of the alleged police excesses that took his life,” the former policeman said, noting that the killing caused him to question the truth about alleged police killings, and the dilemma faced by police commanders who are tasked with protecting the officers under their charge from such allegations while maintaining their integrity in upholding human rights and public safety.

Williams said that he found a response to his second concern by examining operation measures employed by police organisations overseas.

“I have found that a number of police departments in Canada and the United States are now using what is called body-worn video cameras,” he said. “It looks pretty much like the portable radio that you either wear on your vest or on your shoulder.

“The aim is to enhance officer and public safety, increase transparency and accountability, provide better evidence for court, and to identify training needs and to reduce the time spent in court and investigations and dealing with public complaints,” he said, quoting statements made by an overseas police chief.

“Any officer who does not activate his camera will be subjected to discipline under the police services act. So this is something in this police force that is included in their standard operative procedures and their legislation,” he added.

Friday’s graduation was the culmination of a 22-month training initiative, said Patricia Coulbourne-White, senior superintendent of police and administrative director of the initiative.

“This programme represents one of the initiatives by the organisation to influence cultural changes in the law enforcement infrastructure, in an effort to adopt and respond to the changing needs and expectations of Jamaica’s ever-volving society,” she said.