Police commissioner says JCF not resisting use of bodycams

Police Commissioner, Dr Kevin Blake, has sought to reassured the public that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is not resisting the use of body-worn cameras, but is rather focused on a phased implementation to ensure effectiveness.

Blake, speaking at the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (MBCCI) monthly meeting last week, said 1,000 body-worn cameras are being ordered for the constabulary.

However, he said there were some challenges when the JCF first made efforts to have its officers wear the equipment while on duty.

"I do not want it to be believed that the body-worn camera is something that was thrust upon us, and that we are resisting it," Blake said.

He highlighted the complexity of implementing body-worn cameras for the entire police force, with every recorded video being eligible to be used as evidence in court proceedings.

"... The protection, handling and storing of it (recorded data from body cameras) is critical," Blake declared.

An iStock photo of a typical police bodycam.

He elaborated that, "When we started first, we made a mistake, and we just pinned some body-worn cameras on persons, and we had some computers where we download and things like that; that's a nightmare.

"We have disperse (different) videos across various different computers, and if one of those goes down, you lose everything. When it (the video) is needed for court, you hear that, 'Boy, police had it and they destroyed it, so a must corruption'," Blake explained.

According to the commissioner, pinning a body-worn camera on a policeman is the "easy part".

Added Blake on that point: "Building the infrastructure to manage that data and building the procedure and the policies around it, all of that is the difficult part, and that is what we have been doing."

He said the cameras will also feature technology to live stream video recordings.

National Security Minister, Dr Horace Chang, previously announced the deployment of 400 bodycams to the JCF, with plans to acquire 1,000 more in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is among local stakeholders who have been urging the Government to prioritise the acquisition of bodycams for the constabulary, especially for use during armed confrontations with citizens or alleged criminals.