Church leaders alliance slams Granville police killing, warns impunity is deepening

The Watchman Church Leaders Alliance (WCLA) has denounced the police shooting that killed Latoya Bulgin in Granville, St James, arguing that the case points to a culture of impunity within the security forces.

In a firm statement released on Monday, the group said it felt profound grief, righteous anger, and deep worry over the death, which was filmed.

"It is hard not to see impunity at work, and this is frightening," the alliance said, while recognising interim administrative steps reportedly taken by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). The WCLA added that the public still needs a clearer account of what those steps mean in practice.

The church body tied the Granville shooting to a wider national pattern, drawing on recent data from the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM). According to the alliance, those figures show that 130 people have been killed by security forces so far in 2026, already above the toll for the same stretch of last year.

The statement also flagged what it called the persistent failure to use, or to use well, body-worn cameras during operations and confrontations involving the security forces.

"This lack of objective video evidence directly erodes the fragile trust between communities and law enforcement," the alliance said.

"A society cannot achieve genuine peace when citizens feel that those sworn to protect them operate away from public transparency."

The WCLA said the Granville case reflects a worsening trend in lethal force and that routine procedural responses are no longer adequate.

"True governance demands more than standard procedural reactions; it requires a commitment to truth and dignity," the group stated.

"We cannot speak of building strong families, mentoring youth, or transforming communities when state violence continues to claim lives under a shroud of missing or unactivated body cameras."

The alliance urged the government to speed up the timeline for wider deployment of body-worn cameras and called on Cabinet to treat the matter under collective responsibility.

It also pressed for what it termed a comprehensive moral and tactical review of police rules of engagement and community policing protocols, so that tactics stay aligned with protecting life and constitutional rights.

The WCLA backed the INDECOM probe into the shooting and asked investigators to conclude the inquiry without delay.

The group offered condolences to Bulgin's family and to people in Granville, where many residents remain traumatised by the incident.

"We stand ready to support community healing while resolutely advocating for institutional governance, national righteousness, and systemic accountability," the statement concluded.