Security minister downplays priority of body cameras for police

 

National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang has sought to downplay the importance of acquiring and deploying body-worn cameras for the police.

 

Dr. Chang says the government has to prioritise the acquisition of several other resources for the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

 

Earlier this month, the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) raised concern about the absence of body worn cameras in incidents where 119 civilians were fatally shot by agents of the state over the period January to October 2023.

 

INDECOM said over the period, the Jamaica Constabulary Force produced evidence in a single case where a body-worn camera was used during a shooting.

 

Speaking at Wednesday's post Cabinet media briefing, Minister Chang said body-worn cameras are among the many resources the government has to acquire for the security forces. 

 

These resources include ballistic vests, helmets, motor vehicles, rehabilitated police stations, police radios as well as the development of an entire network for effective communication.

 

He added that 3,000 printers and other digital instruments were recently secured for the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB). 

 

Minister Chang said the government and the JCF's priority is to protect citizens, save lives and maintain public order.

 

While he admitted that body-worn cameras are an important element in policing, he said they are only a small part of those operations.  

 

The more critical focus over the last few years, he suggested, has been to increase the number of "boots on the ground" and expand the force. 

 

In his 2023/2024 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives, Minister Chang had said he saw body cameras not as a challenge for the police force but as a means of ensuring the officers have the second eye that will relieve them from false accusations.

 

Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey, while addressing the concern on Wednesday, said the JCF recently received a number of body-worn cameras but there were issues hampering deployment of the devices. 

 

"It's not just taking a body camera and installing it on a police officer. There are some backends that will have to be installed. It's more than just acquiring a camera. So I just want to make that very clear. It's not as easy as we think. Even the very uniform that you wear has to be created and so designed so that those body cameras can be attached. We have actually redesigned our uniform, as you are aware. And it is designed in order, generally, for body cameras to be fitted."

 

 

But Opposition Spokesman on National Security Peter Bunting has said back-end support for body-worn cameras was explored and tested during the pilot phase more than eight years ago.

 

"These are all delaying tactics. And to my mind, it telegraphs that this administration is not serious about police accountability, because they have the resources. They claim they've ordered hundreds or over a thousand cameras by now, and yet we're seeing no evidence of widespread deployment," he contended. 

 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness during his 2021/22 Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives, said the cameras would provide protection for members of the JCF and the public through the provision of an objective view of incidents.

 

He noted that the device will have a positive impact on the speed at which incidents are investigated and disposed of.