Klao Bell, Staff ReporterThe Government has rejected some of the guns that were ordered for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) from 1999, claiming that they were "unfit for police work".
The Sunday Gleaner was informed that some samples of the weapons that were sent here were rejected. However, others were approved and should arrive in the island within the next two weeks.
Shirley Byfield, public relations officer at the Ministry of National Security and Justice, confirmed that the guns are on their way here. They have been shipped from Dince Hill Ltd., a gun dealer in Devon, England. But earlier samples were rejected.
"Some of the weapons for which they had sent samples did not meet our specifications so we are sourcing ours from other places," stated the executive director of the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), Deputy Superintendent James Forbes. "The rejected ones were commercial guns and could not handle the rigours of police work."
The guns that were approved are 9mm Berettas, which DSP Forbes explained are desperately needed.
"We are badly in need of handguns," he said. "...We want to stop our men from patrolling with M-16s (rifles) on the plazas and in other crowded areas. An M-16 is for long range shooting while the handgun is better for these settings."
A ban was placed on the exportation of the guns to Jamaica when the Government of the United Kingdom raised questions about the human rights record of the local Police Force.
In January, Dr. Marjorie Mowlam, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, announced during a visit here that the ban would be lifted and the weapons released. More than three months later, the guns are yet to reach the armoury of the JCF.
"There were some bureaucratic bungling, the company had difficulties getting the orders through," said DSP Forbes.
But this difficulty has been resolved, confirmed a representative of Dince Hill, who said "the problem all had to do with the licences with the U.K. Government and that has since been cleared."
The announcement of the lifting of the ban did not mean automatic clearance for the guns and it took some time before the paperwork was sorted out.
The representative explained that all licences were subjected to various processes required by the U.K. Government and there is no set time for approvals to be granted.
One condition under which the ban was lifted, according to Dr. Mowlam, was that by the time the guns arrive on the island, "everyone who is using he guns will have human rights training."
The Sunday Gleaner attempted to find out if the U.K. Government had been monitoring the JCF's human rights training and was satisfied with the JCF's human rights record. But the office of Dr. Mowlam referred The Sunday Gleaner to Baroness Scotland's office which then made a referral to the British High Commission here in Jamaica.
Questions sent to Gavin Tench, second secretary at the high commission, were not answered up to press time.
Flo O'Connor, human rights consultant in the Ministry of National Security and Justice, explained that human rights training has existed in the Police Force for several years but, she added, there needed to be a change in the mind set of senior police officers as well as the public.
"Human rights training has been going on at the police academy for seven years now...but one has to be very clear on how the Police Force is structured," she said. "When you impart knowledge to the young officers, you have to recognise that some of the seniors that they go out to work with, developed under the era of the Suppressions of Crimes Act when there was not very good policing...The question to ask is if the required attitudinal change is taking place in the seniors as well as in the public."
