DESPITE calls for a reduction in the use of force in policing, Security Minister Robert Montague says the police have to use the amount of force that is necessary to mitigate against critical incidents, but it must be balanced.

“I want us to get something right; every police force in the world is authorised to use deadly force when it is the only way to save people’s life,” he said.“Society grants the police this power because police personnel may have to make decisions in the fraction of a minute, often in extreme circumstances,” said Minister Montague in his address at the closing ceremony of the inaugural Caribbean Use of Force in Law Enforcement Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, yesterday.The three-day conference, hosted by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) and the United Nations in Jamaica, with the support from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, and the Embassy of the United States of America, was primarily aimed at drafting a Model Use of Force Policy for Caribbean Security Forces.Added Montague: “Let us not fool ourselves, law enforcement has to use the amount of force that is necessary to mitigate against critical incidents.”“Some of us in Jamaica have to lock ourselves behind burglar bars every afternoon, effectively creating our own prison, and some of us would love to have burglar bars, but because some of some houses are built with inferior material we can’t,” he said.“Not everyone has a police bodyguard or can afford to live in a gated community, sometimes our environment are not of our choosing, but we should understand the environment [in which] the police operates” Minister Montague stated.However, while charging that the police have to utilise force in dealings with serious situation, he said there must be balance.“There has to be balance. That is why I am calling on everyone to help the police,” he said.According to the minister, citizens can assist the police through the Stay Alert application, Crime Stop, or by writing down the information on a piece of paper and sending it through the mail.The security minister, in the meantime, told the conference that there has been a significant reduction in fatal police shootings, and he congratulated the police for abiding by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM)regulations and the Jamaica Constabulary Force Use of Force Policy.He also lauded INDECOM for its constant scrutiny of the police officers’ work, saying it enhances the work of the constabulary.“Debunk the lies that INDECOM is preventing the police from doing their work and that the police is trigger happy,” Montague quipped.Meanwhile INDECOM Commissioner Terrence Williams said he wanted to encourage greater use of less lethal devices.“We want to see greater sanctions for breaching of the (use of force) policy; we want to see commanders and supervisors being held liable for human right breaches of their men, and these are the areas that we want to see being represented in the new policy.”Williams said that the proposed Model Use of Force Policy for Caribbean Security Forces will be looking at new technology, new accountability frameworks, and will also incorporate new practices, noting that the basic principles contained in the old policy were done 27 years ago.“… So with all the changes that have taken place, it is a good time to look back at it now, especially since the Caribbean has particular issue surrounding the use of force,” he said.