Police abuses and extrajudicial killings continue to undermine the Jamaica Constabulary Force's ability to effectively solve crime, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has said.

Representatives of the human rights watchdog visited the country from December 1-5 at the invitation of the Government.

Its preliminary report said though there was some openness among members of the police to dialogue with civil society in a bid to solve crime, the high number of police shootings and a lack accountability, in many cases, have created a culture of impunity.

"This lack of credibility, in turn, seriously limits the capacity of the police to respond to crime, creating a vicious cycle that must be broken if progress is to be made in the restoration of peace and order," stated the IACHR report.

During their visit, IACHR officials met with Prime Minister Bruce Golding, civic organisations, Jamaicans For Justice and the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights.

Hundreds of killings

"Statistics indicate that, since 2004, over 700 people have been killed by police officers. According to these statistics, during 2007, police shot and killed 272 people, and shot and injured another 153 people," outlined the report.

It continued: "As of September 2008, reports indicate that police had shot and killed 158 people since the beginning of the year."

Data revealed that there were a total of 46 police killings in October and November.

The commission said while in Jamaica, it was informed that a large number of the deaths occurred in circumstances consistent with extrajudicial executions at the hands of police officers.

"Sources indicated that victims are often young men or boys from the inner cities and that in some instances they are unarmed and pose no threat to police. In addition to the use of lethal force, the commission was informed that police use measures of excessive force and arbitrary arrest and detention, further aggravating the situation of fear and victimisation of the population," stated the IACHR.

The commission, however, noted that within the context of violence, police personnel, many of whom serve with dedication, also become victims. The IACHR also highlighted the fact that over the last 12 years, an average of one member of the security forces has been killed every month. In the last four years, 20 police personnel have been killed per year.