POLICE Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has called for “a more honest, evidence-based conversation” around fatal shootings by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

The JCF has come in for extra scrutiny in recent weeks as the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom) continues to raise concerns over the rising number of fatal police shootings, particularly those arising from planned operations.

At the last count Indecom put the number of police fatal shootings since the start of this year at 180, a more than 100 per cent increase over the same period last year.

But writing in the latest Force Orders Bake argued that “policymaking and public sentiment should never be fuelled by anecdote or distortion. The rule of law must be protected not only by police conduct but also by the accuracy of how that conduct is reported and interpreted.”

According to Blake, any loss of life, especially in the context of police action, must be subject to serious and independent review, “and let me be abundantly clear, this high command fully embraces this. There is no hedging here. The JCF does not seek to operate behind closed doors or above scrutiny. It embraces oversight because… integrity is not weakened by inspection; it is confirmed by it”.

Pointing to data which, he says, seem to be absent from the discourse Blake noted that between 2020 and April 2025 there were 686 fatal encounters involving police, resulting in 770 deaths.

“These are sobering numbers by any metric. Yet only eight cases — just 1.1 per cent — have led to criminal charges. This is not in defence of any wrongdoing; however, the facts must be shared with the public without an effort to try and cloud the situation to shape a perspective that supports one’s agenda,” said Blake.

The commissioner argued that criticisms without the facts could lead to more than reputational damage to the JCF as it could also be institutional.

“Public misunderstanding, fuelled by mischaracterised data, undermines the delicate trust that modern policing must cultivate in democratic societies. When information is reduced to clickbait or selectively framed to fit a crisis narrative, the public loses faith not only in [the] police, but in the very mechanisms of justice meant to hold them accountable.

“We must also insist on accuracy and integrity in how that oversight is reported… Let no one mistake our silence for guilt, nor our professionalism for weakness,” declared Blake.

He underscored that the JCF operates within a multi-layered system of internal audits, external investigations, and operational reviews.

“In today’s JCF, we operate under operational audits; internal oversight mechanisms… Indecom investigations… and a public that is increasingly informed and involved in justice conversations,” said Blake as he told the men and women under his command that the path forward is clear.

“It lies in institutional courage, empirical transparency, and a relentless commitment to professional standards.

“We walk a hard road, but we walk it with purpose… stay committed to the values that define who we are as members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force,” Blake said.

Investigators on the scene in Jack’s Hill where five men were fatally shot in a reported confrontation with cops last last month. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)