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The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is pressing the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to explain the spike in deadly police shootings, saying it has found no justification for the rise.
It is now urging law enforcement to take immediate steps to rein in the use of lethal force.
In its Special Investigative Report on Planned Police Operations, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the independent investigative body said the increase in security force fatalities is self-evident, with the deployment of multiple planned entry and search operations since 2024 contributing significantly to the rise in deaths.
There has been a rise in the number of fatalities since 2020.
INDECOM said, in the years 2019 to 2023, the average proportion of deaths arising from planned police operations was 15.5 per cent and a low of 10 per cent in 2019.
But the proportion of deaths from planned operations account for between 40 per cent in 2024 and 51 per cent in 2025.
INDECOM said the reasons for the increase are not fully established nor is it understood as to why seemingly so many gunmen in the last two years are reportedly challenging the police resulting in their deaths.
The oversight body reasoned that the JCF is expected to observe the right of life, yet its operational tactic of what it calls "dynamic entry" has resulted in an increase in police related fatalities.
Among its 11 recommendations also is the use of body-worn camera resources for the fugitive apprehension teams as a matter of priority.
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