The honorable Andrew Holness stated that the Jamaica Constabulary Force has been thoroughly trained to uphold the standard of protecting and serving the nation, including enforcing International Human Rights laws. He further shared that the extremity of the process and its importance should eliminate doubts or critiques on the country maintaining or enforcing the Human Rights laws.
PM Holness stated, “In the transformation of the JCF, every officer here will tell you that in their training, in all their development courses, respect for citizens’ rights, respect for human rights, is paramount, including in our operations, including in our equipping of the force, in the use of force, in every aspect of it, and I urge the JCF to continue on this path to show the world that we don’t need to be told to respect human rights; that is something that is ingrained in us.”
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On September 6, 2024, PM Holness was speaking at Fitz Bailey’s retirement celebration as the Deputy Commissioner of the police’s crime and security division.
A recently released statement by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) seems to be the source of Holness’s response, expressing “concern over Jamaica’s continued use of states of public emergency (SOEs)”.
The Jamaican government was urged by the IACHR “to ensure that measures used to prevent and combat crime are implemented following international human rights standards.”
The commission stated that it was aware that the parish of Clarendon was placed under a state of emergency (SOE) by the Jamaican government on August 14, following a mass shooting at Cherry Tree Lane that left eight people dead.
According to the Jamaican Constitution, “the Government temporarily grants security forces additional powers, including warrantless searches, arrest, and detention,” during a state of emergency, according to IACHR.
The commission added that under the organs of the Inter-American System of Human Rights, “the suspension of guarantees is a provision that can be implemented in the extraordinary circumstances indicated in Article 27 of the American Convention, such as war, public danger, or another emergency that threatens a state’s independence or security.”
On that score, the IACHR said: “The state of Jamaica must abide by the international obligations it has assumed, which establish requirements and limits for adopting such exceptional mechanisms for suspending the rights and guarantees protected by the convention.
The statement suggested, “The IACHR urges that these measures should not be made part of the country’s permanent security policy.”
Holness, however, shot back, claiming that “the respect for the rights of the victims” is lacking from the discussion over the government’s tactics of combating crime.
The prime minister further stated, “No one speaks about the rights of the victims or the families who have lost loved ones.
“No international agency is coming to say, ‘Protect the innocent!’” Holness remarked.
The audience applauded when he made those pointed comments.
According to the prime minister, industrialized countries’ governments frequently resort to extreme measures to handle difficulties when crime rates or other problems rise over bearable levels without drawing condemnation from other countries.
In a similar vein, he said that, like in all industrialized nations, his Administration had first employed “extraordinary powers” to put the crime problem under the JCF’s management.
“We have a situation here that for many years, it (crime) has been over and above our investigative capacity, over and above our transport capacity, over and above the ability to put boots on the ground in the challenged communities,” Holness noted.
Nonetheless, he said that the government had increased the JCF’s capabilities throughout the previous eight years.
PM Holness stated, “And so, we don’t rely on SOEs anymore, because we are building capacity, and you would have seen that in the last three years, the number of gang cases that we would have brought to courts, and the number of gangs that we have disrupted and dismantled, were more than in the last 30 years.”
In addition, he mentioned that serious crimes have decreased by 20% so far this year and that murder rates have also been declining.
“So, I want Jamaicans to understand that your government is acting in your best interest and that those who don’t understand what is happening in Jamaica should get the right information before they speak and support the Government of Jamaica in ensuring that our citizens are safe, and we will not relent against the criminals,” Holness remarked.
The employment of SOEs by the government has been criticized by several organizations and groups, the most recent of which is the IACHR.
The opposition People’s National Party (PNP) and the local human rights advocacy organization Jamaicans for Justice have been among the most vocal opponents of the emergency security measure in the area.
