Jamaican Police.Com

A week after findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the fire tragedy at the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre last year which left seven teenage girls (wards of the state) dead, Acting Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington has issued new strict directives governing the use of tear gas by members of Jamaica’s constabulary.

In a release to the press yesterday, the police high command outlined the guidelines under which tear gas canisters should be discharged. The release said that only properly trained police personnel should discharge tear gas, and that it should only be done in a last ditch effort to quell disturbances. It states that they should never be used in a confined environment, especially where there is a potential fire hazard.

Ellington has also ordered that the officer commanding a police formation must first analyze the situation to determine the need for using tear gas. He also instructed that all tear-gas canisters and projectiles be brought in to the relevant divisions in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), and that their dates of manufacture be reviewed. In instances where the date on the devices is illegible or the date of manufacture is prior to 2002, they are to be returned to Headquarters Stores and Armoury for disposal.

Tags : Owen Ellington, Tear Gas, Tear Gas Policy, Teargas, Use Of Tear Gas