Police on front-line duty are increasingly declining to engage criminals as they fear being prosecuted by the Independent Commission of Investigation (INDECOM), the Jamaica Observer was told yesterday.

According to at least two policemen, who asked not to be named as they feared persecution, many of their colleagues feel that the odds are stacked against them, even in situations where they believe their actions are justified.

“They are just going through the motions because they are afraid of INDECOM,” one policeman told the

Observer. “They are not confronting the criminals. As a matter of fact, some of the areas that are regarded as volatile, they avoid going in there, because they just don’t want the confrontation. It’s not an adversarial thing, but the police are just not pushing out because of INDECOM.”

Asked to state specifically what were the concerns, one of the policemen said when cops are involved in a shooting they are taken off front-line duty, an administrative review is done, as well as an investigation.

“If that policeman is suspended, he gets no pay; if he’s interdicted, a portion of his salary is cut,” the policeman said.

The cops raised the concern hours after Police Commissioner Dr Carl Williams highlighted the issue at a Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica President’s Forum early yesterday morning at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

“I went out to St James on the weekend and I was told by the police officers that they have an excellent relationship with the local INDECOM officers, but the problem is what is directed from INDECOM headquarters,” he said.

“The spectacular press conferences paint a picture of a situation that existed years ago, [and that] is really what is dampening the will of some of the officers,” Williams added.

He said that, despite this, the members of the constabulary continue to work hard.

“We are not daunted, because this is a calling and not just a job. We have taken an oath to ensure the safety and security of the people of Jamaica, and we go out to work every day to do just that, INDECOM or no INDECOM,” Williams stated.

Later yesterday, INDECOM issued a statement saying it was asked by journalists to comment on the assertion that members of the security forces are hindered in their work because of the commission.

“We seek to remind members of the public and the agents of the State that officers have a responsibility to do their duty in accordance with their training and the rules of the force. If they do so, they have nothing to fear from INDECOM. Laws cannot be enforced unlawfully,” the commission said.

“Through its investigations, INDECOM is here to ensure that the rights of citizens are not abused; and in so doing help the police force, as it seeks to become more professional, and foster public trust in the police. A professional police force acting with the support of conscientious Jamaicans is ultimately the response to crime and disorder,” INDECOM added.

The police commissioner had told his audience that his message to the constabulary was that they should act professionally at every step of the way, and that human rights should be at the forefront of their minds.

He stated that the police force would ensure that its members are provided with legal support if, after a confrontation, they become what INDECOM refers to as a “concerned person”.

However, the commissioner also pointed out that justice must be served if a cop is found to be on the wrong side of the law.

Asked about that probable involvement of policemen in the case of nine men escaping from the Denham Town police lock-up a few weeks ago, Williams said: “There has been talk. We have heard [information] from time to time and we have arrested police officers for consorting with criminals. We have made some arrests and we can’t say definitively that some of the escapes have not been as a result of collusion between police and prisoner. We can’t say that. I’m not going to make that pronouncement here, but I know we have arrested, in the past, people who have smuggled things into the cells, whether it be ganja or other contraband, and so in the most recent escape we are investigating, and I cannot say anything about that until we have the results of the investigation.”