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Corporal Arlene McBean, Mark Shields and Susan Goffe
The Police Federation says Thursday's conviction of Constable Collis Chucky Brown should not be used to broad-brush the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
Constable Brown was found guilty of three counts of murder, conspiracy to murder and wounding with intent based on his involvement in the so-called Clarendon police death squad.
He will be sentenced on December 20.
In an interview with RJR News on Friday, Corporal Arlene McBean, Chairman of the Police Federation, agreed that the issues raised during the trial should be taken into consideration by the High Command.
"However, she argued that "no one or two incident should broad-brush any organisation that is still giving service, looking at ways to improve the service delivery mechanism, the security mechanism in order for citizens of Jamaica to be safe."
Mark Shields, a security consultant and former deputy commissioner of the JCF, has said Constable Brown's conviction was a significant development so it should not be ignored by the police force which is already suffering from an image problem.
He noted that while the trial has affected the image of the organisation, it is to be remembered that the majority of the force is made up of law abiding individuals.
"We still have to stop and think about the fact (there are) eight thousand police persons doing a difficult and dangerous job but there is no doubt there is a small percentage involved in this activity for number of years," he asserted.
Mr. Shields, who was a guest on RJR's Beyond the Headlines on Thursday, added that the impact of the conviction is especially significant given that evidence from the trial has pointed fingers to the higher ranks of the JCF.
Rumours confirmed
Human rights activist Susan Goffe has argued that the evidence presented during the trial of convicted Police Constable Collis Chucky Brown confirms what has been rumoured to be taking place for several years within the Jamaica Constabulary Force as it regards extra-judicial killings and special squads assigned to carry out the attacks.
Mrs Goffe is of the view that the case has also shown how a part of the society has viewed extra-judicial killings by the police.
"Many of the allegations that came out have been spoken about previously, have been known anecdotally, have been pointed to in other cases and instances of killings as well as the fact that there are many persons within the society who believe that this is a legitimate form of policing and that we should continue to turn a blind eye or, in fact, actively support," she contended.
She was also speaking Thursday on Beyond the Headlines.
National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang has declined to comment on the outcome of the Collis Chucky Brown trial.
RJR News contacted the minister on Friday morning to get a response given the magnitude of the issues raised in the case, including the existence of a death squad within the police force.
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