Police are core human rights activists – Commissioner
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Police Commissioner Kevin Blake is positioning lawmen as human rights activists amid a row between The Jamaica Constabulary Force and activist group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ).
In a press release Friday, the Constabulary Communications Network (CCN) highlighted an internal column written by Blake.
“I challenge anyone to find a greater advocate for human rights than those who put their lives on the line every day in protection of others,” he said.
While acknowledging the idea of the police as human rights advocates may seem, to some, like a contradiction, the JCF said that the concept of human rights is meaningless without security.
The police also insist that they are being judged based on their shortcomings as good deeds go ignored.
“While we continue to improve our service delivery and address our challenges, we will also continue to push back against any attempt to use these to define us,” Blake said.
“The narrative surrounding law enforcement is often framed by its shortcomings—by the misdeeds of a few, the perceptions of bias, and the constant scrutiny of oversight bodies. It is an unfortunate reality that the loudest voices in discussions on policing are often those that critique it, rather than those who see its fundamental role in ensuring that human rights are upheld not in theory, but in practice,” the press release contended.
The statements follow several back and forth exchanges between the commissioner and JFJ over concerns about the mounting numbers of police killings in the country. Blake has shrugged off JFJ’s insistence that body worn cameras would assist greatly in investigations.
READ: JFJ not backing down, renews call for body cams
In the first 51 days of 2025, around 50 people were killed by the JCF.
The JFJ has continued to highlight conflicting accounts between police officers and residents when alleged criminals are killed.
The press release maintained that the JCF was not above scrutiny but called for what it described as balance.
“Just as citizens need safeguarding from crime, officers need safeguarding from misrepresentation, unfair criticism, and the unrealistic expectation that they can operate in a world devoid of danger and split-second decisions. Yes, officers must be held accountable. Yes, law enforcement must constantly seek to improve. But it must also be acknowledged that without the police, there is no security—and without security, there are no rights to protect,” it said.
Describing police as the ‘centre’ of human rights discussions, the lawmen called for empowerment of the force.
