Jamaican Police.Com

Report in today’s Jamaica Observer newspaper: Head of the European Union Delegation to Jamaica Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni has called for the authorities to do more to improve conditions at police stations across the island. According to her, “While a lot is being done to improve the conditions and operations at police stations, more needs to be done to improve the areas where people are being held,” … more here

Tags : Jamaica Police Stations, Jamaican Police Station, Jamaican Police Stations, Marco Mazzocchi Alemanni

In the latest Jamaica Constabulary Force Orders released yesterday, Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington issued a stern warning to police personnel who fail to attend scheduled court sittings.

Commissioner Ellington stated “It is noted that despite the republications of instructions … the practice of police witnesses failing to attend courts still gives cause for concern … The unnecessary delays caused by such non-attendance may be classified as discourtesy, disrespect and contempt of the courts and the process of justice.”

He warned that if for any good reason they were unable to attend court when required, every effort should be made to inform the court in good time before the hearing, giving reasons for the non-attendance. He added, “Every case of infringement will be regarded as disobedience of my orders, and disciplinary action will be taken by way of court of enquiry.“

Tags : Force Orders Jamaica, Jamaica Constabulary Force Orders, Owen Ellington

Hot on the heels of the recent arrest of an ex-policeman who was on the run in the United States for eight years (while he was being sought to face a murder charge here in Jamaica), comes the news that the Government is seeking the extradition of another former cop from the U.S., so that he can face trial for murder.

Ex-cop Mark St. Aubyn Russell is being sought for the July 2007 murder of 18-year-old Ravin Thompson. Thompson was reportedly shot at his aunt’s gate in Whitfield Town, St. Andrew, and subsequently died. Relatives and residents alleged that Thompson was shot in the shoulder and subsequently placed in a police jeep to be taken to the hospital. His aunt, who went in the jeep with him, alleged that she was put out of the vehicle in the vicinity of Maxfield Avenue. She said she later made her way to the Kingston Public Hospital where she saw her nephew’s body in the back of the police jeep. He had been shot multiple times and had several bones fractured.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had made a ruling in 2009 for Russell and another policeman to be charged with Thompson’s murder. Russell reportedly left the island before the ruling was made, and a request was subsequently made for his extradition. Russell had challenged his extradition on several grounds, but on September 19, a New York court that he be extradited to Jamaica. He is expected to appeal the extradition order.

Tags : Jamaica Killer Cop, Jamaica US Extradition, Mark St. Aubyn Russell, Ravin Thompson, Ravin Thompson Murder

Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) are to get online training in community policing at the University of the West Indies Open Campus. It’s a newly launched UWI Open Campus Community Policing Programme (CPP), and the Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington said it will help the force to “combat crime”. The online delivery of the CPP by the UWI Open Campus provides the opportunity for active duty officers in the region to be trained cost-effectively, without disrupting their normal duties.

100 Jamaican police personnel, and another 100 police personnel from across the region will be trained in the first of two 13-week courses to be delivered online beginning next month. An estimated 7,000 police regionally are to be trained.

The CPP encompasses Community Policing 1 (COP1), which — with special attention to the Caribbean context — will provide a historical overview of the practice and introduce participants to the major perspectives, principles and methods of community policing. Community Policing 2 (COP2) will see participants applying the knowledge gained in COP1 to develop a community policing plan in collaboration with their respective communities.

Tags : Community Policing Jamaica, Community Policing Training Jamaica, UWI Open Campus Community Policing Programme

According to a report in today’s Sunday Observer newspaper, sixteen (16) Jamaican police personnel who’ve been charged with murder and other crimes, are believed to be living abroad, far from the long arm of Jamaican law. The Sunday Observer sought a list of wanted policemen who seemed to have fled the jurisdiction, and got a list of 16 names from the JCF. They comprised cops accused of various crimes, including murder, who are yet to be brought to book. Some of the cops in question have been on the run since 1999 … more here

Tags : Rogue Cops Jamaica