JCF High Command interdicts cop who shot civilian in Granville on Sunday

The High Command of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has ordered the immediate interdiction of the policeman who killed Latoya Bulgin, a resident of Granville, St. James in her community on Sunday afternoon.

The High Command in a statement issued on Sunday night, said it was "deeply concerned about the circumstances surrounding (the) fatal shooting."

It said the matter was immediately reported to the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) and the Inspectorate Professional Standards Oversight Bureau (IPROB), "which have now commenced a full investigation into the incident."

But, the High Command said, "having reviewed preliminary information, including CCTV," it made the decision to interdict the officer directly involved in the shooting.

"While the investigation is ongoing, the JCF wishes to make it unequivocally clear that any action by a member which even appears to fall outside the law, outside established operational standards, or outside the professional values of the organization will attract decisive institutional response," the High Command added.

It asserted further that "The overwhelming majority of the men and women of the JCF serve honourably under some of the most difficult and dangerous conditions imaginable."

The JCF is urging that Sunday's incident "must therefore not be conflated with the legitimate and lawful use of force exercised daily by police personnel in the execution of their duties and in defence of life.

MP shaken

Earlier in the day, Marlene Malahoo Forte, MP for St. James West Central, was on the scene of the shooting ad spoke with the media, during which she shared her deep distress at what had happened.

Below are detailed excerpts of her comments: 

?It's Sunday, May seventeenth, and I'm here in Granville again. So I'm advised that the lady who was shot by the police has since died. Um, that's what I'm told on the scene. And the good thing is that camera footage is there, and so the investigation will be greatly assisted. 

From all indications, it doesn't look good at all. It's no secret that the community is tense on the heels of the Mother's Day shooting, fatal shooting. My understanding is that a protest was organized, peaceful protest, and that the person who was shot, she was on the scene and... Let me tell you, I, I don't like it at all. I don't like it at all. I don't like what the people are saying, what they are saying about policing. 

“Ask your government”

So when a space is as tense as this, and you know that citizens are on the edge and that their temperament is of a certain type, it requires a level of situational awareness like you've never seen. It requires intelligent policing. I'm very concerned that so many residents are saying that the police are saying, "Ask your government," because they are acting on instructions. I don't know if it is true, but that is what is being said in the space. And it's not right, not right. You're coming into a community like Granville on the heels of a fatal shooting by the police, where the wounds are still raw and the emotions are raw. You have to be very, very careful. Always, we have to preserve life. You know, I make no apology. I stand on the side of the law. And so when the footage is accessed, I expect that action will be taken swiftly because the citizen want to know that they can trust the system and already the trust is very low. So I'm expecting that the system will work for the people in this case. I really am. I'm keeping the faith. 

I (am) not one to jump to hasty conclusion. And I do believe in process and investigation. But based on what I've observed on the scene, the commissioner will have to take immediate action in relation to the officer in this matter. I think this one doesn't look so good. (I) can’t prejudge it, but it doesn't look good. 

Trust broken

So what has been unfolding in Granville feels like deja vu. And we can't go back there. We have to bring all sides of the solution at once to stem the tide. But the trust is already broken and we can't afford to get it to a state where it cannot be repaired. We cannot go back to a time when citizens say they are afraid of the police. We can't go back to a time when they do not wish to cooperate with the police. And we can't go back to a time when they believe that anything can happen in the space with impunity. So I will be calling on my own government. I'm not going to make the calls in public because security issues have to be delicately handled. But people are not fool, right? And not everybody in our communities are criminal. It's not everybody. Policing has to be done with a level of sensitivity and situational awareness of the space. But my constituents can be assured that I will be following. I really don't like this at all. 

Solutions

So the people are calling for the rebuilding of the police station. A number of interventions have taken place in Granville over the years and they have made a positive difference. But with the passage of time, we have to refresh those interventions. It's going to require Targeted action. Not a generalized action, but targeted action. Because the trust is broken and it is at an all-time low. And we cannot tolerate any increase in the crime rate from wherever it will come. The citizens know where I stand on crime. The police know that, and nobody is above the law. Nobody is above the law. Police are not entitled to break the law in their efforts to have the law upheld. Right? When you're going into a space where emotions are still raw and wounds are still open, you have to proceed with utmost caution. And life must be preserved.